The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is set to implement several initiatives aimed at reducing taxpayer hassles and enhancing revenue collection for the national exchequer.
According to NBR sources, upcoming changes include the introduction of online corporate tax filing, an online tax return submission system for income tax lawyers, and a dedicated app for all taxpayers to file their income tax returns.
Currently, the tax lawyers are submitting the income tax return for their clients manually. But the NBR has given importance to submitting income tax returns online to reduce the hassle of the taxpayers. But the change creates problems for the income tax lawyers.
Any individual income taxpayer has to open an account in the NBR designated website to submit his/her income tax return through online.
For this purpose, that individual needs to have a SIM card which is availed through biometric registration that causes trouble for tax lawyers to submit the income tax return in favour of their clients.
According to an NBR high official, the revenue collecting authority has taken this matter seriously and working to solve the matter.
“We are very much serious to resolve the problem for the tax lawyers and the taxpayers,” he said.
Recently in a programme NBR chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan said the revenue collecting authority is working to create a system where the income tax lawyers will be able to submit the income tax returns using their own ID and password.
“By this the income tax lawyers will be able to continue their activities,” he said.
The NBR has already issued an order to make online filing of income tax returns (e-Return) mandatory for government employees under the jurisdiction of income tax circles located in Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Gazipur and Narayanganj City Corporation, as well as sections of the private sector.
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Online filing of income tax returns has been made mandatory for working officers/employees of all scheduled banks, all mobile telecom service providers and some multinational companies namely Unilever Bangladesh Limited, British American Tobacco Bangladesh Company Limited, Marico Bangladesh Limited, Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited, Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Limited, Nestlé Bangladesh Plc.
Online return filing system has been open for taxpayers since September 9 this year.
From this system, taxpayers can pay taxes through internet banking, card payment (debit/credit card) and mobile banking and get the facility of downloading and printing copies of filed returns, receipts, income tax certificates, TIN certificates. Besides, anyone can download and print the e-Return filed for the previous year.
A Biometric SIM registered with the national identity card of each taxpayer is required for successful registration in e-Return.
Regarding the corporate tax return, various types of documents are required at present during tax return submission.
The NBR chairman said that his organisation has already started the process to make it possible for the corporate taxpayers to submit their income tax returns following all procedures.
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“It will take some time, if we can not do that this year, we are cent percent sure that it will be done by next year where the corporate taxpayers will be able to submit their returns online,” he said.
Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed while briefing reporters on Tuesday marking the 100th day of the interim government put empahsised on introducing online income tax return submission within the shortest possible time.
The NBR is also planning to launch an app for income tax return from next year. “The taxpayers would be able to do this through the dedicated app,” Md Abdur Rahman Khan said.
He said that after introducing all these matters with the running online system, the NBR would go for online income tax return submission for all taxpayers. “There may be some exceptions,” the NBR chairman said.