Tax fair getting popular
As soon as he learnt that the tax authority was issuing user ID and password for access to the online tax return filing portal at tax fair, Md Zakir Hossain jumped at the opportunity.
He submitted the required papers and within a couple of minutes, he was handed over an online account certificate from the booth at the income tax fair in Dhaka.
"This will be helpful for me. I am going to submit my tax return online from next year," Hossain said while standing beside the dedicated booth on the online return filing system, launched by the National Board of Revenue on November 1.
The annual show, which has got rising popularity since its beginning in 2010, has been taking place at the under-construction headquarters of the NBR in Agargaon.
The event, where taxpayers can complete tax related formalities from 10am to 5pm, will end on November 7.
Turnout as well as tax return submission has been rising steadily since its inception in 2010.
In the first three days of the fair this year, 3.25 lakh taxpayers received services from the tax fair.
The NBR received 61,607 tax returns during the period, up 22 percent year-on-year. Some 18,800 new e-TINS were issued, up 161 percent year-on-year.
Many people who visited the fair in Dhaka expressed satisfaction over the service rendered by the taxmen.
Some wanted the NBR to go for increased awareness campaign on tax matters in easily understandable language, while some urged for issuing tax certificate on the spot to reduce the hassle of visiting the tax office.
"Many people would have paid tax if they could complete tax formalities without hassle," said Hossain, who returned to Bangladesh in June after staying in Afghanistan for 10 years.
Hossain was not the only taxpayer who got their user ID and password for access to NBR's e-filing system.
Since November 2, the NBR issued access ID to 627 taxpayers who visited the fair with a copy of Taxpayers Identification Number and National ID.
Taxpayers have to fill up a form to collect the password that they must change the first time they log in to the e-filing system.
The NBR said taxpayers can do many things on the e-filing portal, including submitting tax return and reading notices issued by the tax office.
The portal was developed under a Tk 78.98 crore project financed mainly by the Asian Development Bank and the government.
The NBR took the initiative in 2011 to automate the whole tax administration and tax system, as it will enable taxmen to easily monitor the trend of tax return submission and tax payments.
"Taxpayers are showing a lot of interest in the e-filing system," said NBR Member Kalipada Halder, who is the project director of the scheme, adding that more than 3,000 e-filing queries have been received.
The tax fair will remain open today.