NBR to identify taxpayers with student surveys

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) will introduce a new system of identifying taxpayers on the basis of surveys conducted by students to increase revenue collection.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday said he would introduce the new system before leaving the ministry for the new government to take over.

“I will do it before I leave,” Muhith said at the unveiling of a book titled “Rajassha Bhabna: Jete Hobe Bahu Dur” by the daily Samakal's special correspondent Abu Kawser at Dhaka Club.

The finance minister said every year the NBR would appoint students to conduct area-wise surveys on inspecting houses and on the basis of that they would submit to NBR a list of taxable people.

The NBR will then bring those people under the tax net.

Muhith said though injustice might occur in some cases, it was the best way for increasing the number of taxpayers.

The number of taxpayers should be 80 lakh in Bangladesh. But there are 37 lakh tax identification numbers and only 18 lakh of them pay tax. 

Muhith also said he would leave some recommendations for the new government to increase tax collection.

One of the recommendations is for decreasing a huge amount of exemptions made in Bangladesh's tax system.

Muhith said every commodity has two prices in Bangladesh, a real price and a tariff value. He said the tariff value should be made away with and he would leave a recommendation in this regard.

Mashiur Rahman, economic affairs adviser to the prime minister; AK Azad, publisher of the Bangla daily and former FBCCI president, and Mustafiz Shafi, acting editor of the paper, also spoke.