NBR to organise another tax fair in winter
The National Board of Revenue collected a record Tk 2,035 crore in income tax from 1,61,060 taxpayers during weeklong income tax fair across the country that ended on Tuesday.
Income tax collection increased by 21.50 per cent compared with that of the last year when the revenue board got Tk 1,675 crore in income tax from 1,49,309 people who submitted their income tax returns in the fair.
The number of visitors also set a record as 7.57 lakh people received services from taxmen at the fair venues against 6.49 visitors last year, according to the data of the revenue board.
The revenue board this year extended the sixth income tax fair to upazila level for the first time. It arranged seven-day fair at all divisional headquarters, four-day fair at all districts, two-day fair at 29 upazilas and one-day mobile fair at 57 upazilas.
On the last day of the fair, the NBR received Tk 394.35 crore from 38,205 taxpayers who submitted their income tax returns.
More than 1.07 lakh people also visited the fair venues and received several kinds of services including submission of returns and receiving online taxpayer’s identification numbers, the data showed.
The revenue board on Tuesday held a closing ceremony of the fair on Officers Club premises in Dhaka, the fair venue for the Dhaka division.
At the programme, law minister Anisul Huq said the income tax fair had changed the concept on tax payment by removing long prevailing fear factor in taxpayers’ mind.
Hopefully, there will be no confusion and fear in taxpayers’ mind on tax payment in future as the fair has contributed to creating awareness among the people, he said.
NBR chairman Md Nojibur Rahman said the board would arrange a winter tax fair considering enthusiasm of taxpayers.
State minister for finance and planning MA Mannan and NBR member Abdur Razzak also spoke at the programme.
On the last day, the fair was scheduled to end at 5:00pm but all the visitors who entered the fair venues before the concluding time got the service even after the stipulated time.
The revenue board arranged the fair in Dhaka and Chittagong in 2010 for the first time in the country in which 60,512 people took services related to income tax.
In the first year, income tax collection was Tk 113 crore from 52,544 people who submitted income tax returns in the fair.
In 2011, the NBR collected Tk 414.39 crore in income tax from the fair arranged at seven divisional cities where 62,272 people submitted their income tax returns and 75,120 people received services.
In 2#012, the revenue board collected Tk 839 crore in income tax, received 97,867 returns and provided 3.46 lakh people with the services at the fair held at seven divisional headquarters and 11 district towns.
In 2013, income tax collection was Tk 1,117 crore with 1,32,017 income tax returns while 5.10 lakh people received services.
Source: New Age
