Finance and Commerce Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said that the government is giving importance to online tax collection to increase the comfort of taxpayers and to ensure that funds are smoothly transferred to the state treasury.
The adviser made the remarks during a press briefing regarding the online income tax payment at the conference room of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) in Dhaka on Tuesday.
“Government needs income tax to implement its development projects. The NBR has to achieve its tax collection targets. Everyone including the administration will participate in development activities. But the participation will not be done by on word,” Salehuddin said.
“It is difficult to get services if taxes are not paid. We are focusing on online tax collection because taxpayers feel more comfortable when they don’t have to interact directly with tax officers,” the adviser added.
Salehuddin also pointed out that running the state on loans is unsustainable, adding, "The online system will ensure transparency in transferring income tax revenues to the state treasury, eliminating leakages and expanding the tax net."
He further noted the need to change the mentality of those who evade taxes, stating, "Many people have taxable income but do not pay taxes. Others have Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) but do not submit returns. This mindset needs to change."
Towards the nation, the adviser said, “You pay tax. Not a single taka will be wasted.”
In his welcome speech, NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan informed that they have launched an updated online tax return submission system for individual taxpayers to file returns online for the tax year 2024-2025. The system, introduced on Monday, is part of the NBR's efforts to create a taxpayer-friendly, transparent, and accountable tax administration.
Individual taxpayers can use the e-return system to prepare returns themselves, file returns online or take printouts for offline filing returns, pay tax through online banking, credit card/debit card or mobile financial services (such as Cash, bkash, Rocket) and receive instant proof of payment, income tax payment certificate and TIN certificate. The system also allows taxpayers to access copies of e-returns filed in previous years.
To register for the system, taxpayers must provide a TIN and a biometric-verified mobile number in their own name.
After the NBR launched the e-system in 2021, some 61,491 taxpayers filed e-returns in the fiscal year 2021-2022 and 2,44,481 in the fiscal year 2022-2023 while 5,26,487 in the fiscal year 2023-2024, the NBR chairman informed.
