Welcome to Business Outlook
Related Articles
The weeklong nationwide income tax fair ended on Wednesday with the National Board of Revenue getting overwhelming response from taxpayers and receiving a record amount of income taxes.
The revenue board received Tk 2,613 crore in income taxes from 6.55 lakh taxpayers who filed their tax returns in seven days this year at fair venues set up across the country, including the central one at the Officers’ Club Dhaka in the capital, according to NBR data.
Last year, income tax collection from the fair stood at Tk 2,469 crore with 4.88 lakh taxpayers filing their tax returns.
Income tax returns submission in the fair rose by 34.22 per cent this year compared with that in last year, the data showed.
The number of people who received various services related to income tax from tax officials at the fair exceeded last year’s figure, the data showed.
This year, the number of service receivers reached to 18.63 lakh in seven days against 16.36 lakh who availed the services last year.
Some 32,961 new taxpayers also obtained their electronic taxpayers’ identification numbers at the fair venues installed in eight divisional cities, 56 districts and 56 upazilas.
Some 6,420 taxpayer paid Tk 4.59 crore in income taxes online and using mobile financial services like Bkash and Rocket.
On last day alone, 1.15 lakh taxpayers filed their tax returns and paid Tk 597 crore in income tax at the fair venues.
The fair venues, including the central one set up at Officers’ Club Dhaka, attracted a huge crowd on the last day. A large number of taxpayers were found standing in queues long after the extended closing time of 8:00pm as tax officials received tax returns from everyone present on the grounds.
The NBR on Tuesday had extended the closing time to 8:00pm from 5:00pm for Wednesday, anticipating in advance the huge gathering of taxpayers to be seen on the last day.
As per the expectations, taxpayers from different socioeconomic and age groups thronged the venues to file their tax returns and pay taxes.
NBR chairman Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said that taxpayers would be able to file their returns and pay taxes till November 30, the last day of tax returns submission, at the field-level tax offices in a similar atmosphere found at the fair.
The revenue board would take punitive action against tax officials if any taxpayer is harassed, he said at a programme held at the Officers’ Club Dhaka on the closing day.
A total of 21 corporate taxpayers, mostly banks, under the large taxpayers unit (LTU) of the NBR paid Tk 293 crore in income taxes at the programme.
Top executives of banks, financial institutions and other corporate entities handed over copies of pay orders to the NBR chairman.
Former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain also attended the programme.
While introducing Syed Abul Hossain, the NBR chairman said that Syed was the highest taxpayer under the LTU and had paid Tk 30 crore in income tax this year.
This year, the NBR arranged seven-day fairs in eight divisional headquarters, four-day fairs at 56 district cities and 56 upazillas.
Officials said that the NBR would observe November 30 as Tax Day.
(NA)
