Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday told parliament that black money worth Tk 13,372 crore has been whitened since the country's independence, generating Tk 1,454 crore as tax.

Replying to scripted questions, he said 1,040 out of 5,127 branches of eight state-owned commercial and specialised banks incurred losses last year, according to data as of June 30, 2016.

Muhith said, till Tuesday, around 15.52 lakh people or organisations paid income tax for fiscal 2016-17. There are 29.03 lakh tax identification number (TIN) holders in the country, he added.

The income tax collection target for the upcoming fiscal year is Tk 87,190 crore, said Muhith.

State Minister for Telecom Tarana Halim also told parliament that Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) has connected 1,200 unions to a fibre-optic network as part of ensuring broadband internet across the country.

She said a project to connect another 1,000 unions would be implemented by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) division, as decided at a meeting of Domestic Network Committee.

The ICT division is also taking initiatives to connect chars, areas surrounded by rivers and canals and remote areas, she added.