Last minute rush to file tax return
Petition submitted for additional time
STAFF REPORTER
A large number of individuals thronged at the temporary booths of the field level offices of the NBR to file their tax returns and time petitioner on the day as the income tax law fixed the November 30 as the last date of returns submission which the NBR observed as the Tax Day for the first time inthe country.
Taxpayers were seen waiting at several small queues for return submission at booths set up on occasion of taxweek observed from November 24-30 at different tax officesin Dhaka.
All the 649 circle offices under 31 income tax zones across the country remained open till 10pm so that all the potential taxpayers can submit their returns within the deadline. Tax officials, however, received tax returns from taxpayers who were at the offices even after 10pm.
Banks also remained open till 8pm to facilitate taxpayers in depositing tax to the government exchequers.
Officials of the National Board of Revenue expect that a record number of individuals would file tax returns and time petition surpassing the last years figure by several lakh due to various measures adopted in the budget for the current fiscal year.
Around 12 lakh individuals submitted tax returns in the last fiscal year of 2015-2016 of which, 2.76 lakh filed for extension in time, according to the NBR data.
Missing the deadline for tax return several lakhs individual taxpayers submitted time petition seeking additional time for paying income tax with filing tax returns as the fixed deadline ended. Taxpayers submitted time petition being failed to complete procedures related to tax payment on time.
Time petitioners from this year will have to pay fine at the rate of 2 per cent per month on applicable tax.
They said that the government made returns submission mandatory for government employees having monthly basic salary above Tk 16,000 in the last year and various punitive measures for non-filing the tax returns.
Electronic taxpayers identification number holders also reached to 24.20 lakh mark by the noon on yesterday though a huge number of aspirant taxpayers and old TIN holders could not obtain e-TIN due to technical glitch in the e-TIN server of the NBR in last few days.
Finance minister in last week expressed hope that more than 20 lakh individuals would file tax returns in the current fiscal year.
NBR officials also echoed with the view of the finance minister based on the response from taxpayers till last moment.
New aspirant taxpayers and old TIN holders, however, faced severe difficulties in obtaining e-TINs and replacing old one for filing tax returns as the NBR server was not responding for last few days. Tax officials, however, received tax returns with applications for e-TINs from individuals assuring that taxmen would communicate with them once the server started responding.
They said that the e-TIN server became unresponsive due to huge pressure from taxpayers, mostly the government officials, who tried to obtain e-TINs at a time.
Earlier, NBR chairman Md Nojibur Rahman, while inaugurating the Tax Day rally in front of the NBR headquarters, said that the number oftaxpayers (e-TIN holders) would reach 25 lakh by the end of the deadline.
He said that the revenue board would find out those who did not submit taxreturns despite having taxable income and take legal action including imposing penalty against them.
