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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to launch campaigns at the grassroots level and motivate people to pay tax as the country’s socioeconomic condition has improved radically in the last 14 years.
“If you carry out campaigns there [at the upazila and union levels] in a good manner, people will spontaneously come forward [to pay tax]. They [taxpayers] are now getting services. So, people will pay tax to avail the services,” Hasina added.
The premier made this comment while inaugurating the Revenue Conference 2023 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka.
The NBR organised the two-day conference, which is the first of its kind, to develop the country’s revenue management system.
Hasina then said the socioeconomic condition of the people of the country, including grassroots people, has witnessed a radical change in the last 14 years.
“So, there are people at the upazila and even union levels that have the capacity to pay tax,” she added.
In this context, she asked all the capable people of the country to pay tax as the government would spend the money to enhance services for them.
The prime minister went on to say that the government wants to expand the tax net instead of increasing the tax rate amid the existing inflation.
“We’ll have to increase the number of taxpayers,” she said.
The number of income taxpayers is still very low in the country mainly because the people face many hassles and there is a lack of awareness in this regard.
“There should be no coercion. The people should not be put into any fearful situation. The people will have to be motivated,” she added.
Hasina asked the people to run their businesses properly, ending tax evasion.
Pointing to NBR officials and employees, the premier asked them to perform their professional duties with a mindset to serve the people.
She urged the authorities concerned to take steps to raise revenue collection by working sincerely to this end.
“We have to expand the tax net and motivate people so that a larger number of them pays tax,” Hasina said.
The two-day revenue conference seeks to raise awareness about VAT, customs, income tax and online services.
Three seminars on VAT, customs and income tax will take place on the sidelines of the conference, where there will be information booths to make people aware of tax-related issues.
Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem, chairman of the NBR, and Abdul Mannan Shikder and Pradyut Kumar Sarkar, members, also spoke on the occasion.
PM OPENS NEW REVENUE BHABAN
On Sunday, the premier opened the newly constructed Revenue Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon area, which would be used as the NBR head office.
She unveiled the name plaque of the 12-storey building and visited the Revenue Bhaban in the morning.
The Public Works Department constructed the modern and eye-catching building at a cost of Tk 412 crore.
The NBR will fully start office in the new building from March 1, 2023.
(TDS)
