The National Income Tax Day was observed in seven divisional cities on Sunday with elaborate programmes, aiming to create mass awareness about income tax and encourage people to pay tax regularly.
To mark the day, a rally was brought out in capital Dhaka from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) office around 9:00am. The rally paraded important city streets, including the ones in Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Jatiya Press Club, and Secretariat and Bijoy Nagar areas.
This year’s slogan for the Income Tax Day is ‘Boost income tax, bring prosperity to the nation and the people’. The NBR is also giving a special emphasis on promoting e-TIN registration and registration during the countrywide celebrations.
Later, at a city hotel, the NBR honoured 403 taxpayers with certificates, crests and tax cards to encourage the rest of the people to pay tax and thus give a boost to direct tax collection.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith handed over the awards to 219 people as the highest taxpayers this year, while 144 taxpayers were venerated for paying taxes for a long time, and 40 bestowed with tax cards.
Speaking on the occasion, the Finance Minister called on both the tax officials and the respected taxpayers to help maintain the income tax sector’s success accomplished in recent years. “The NBR must act as a tax-friendly organisation and the taxpayers should not get scared of tax officials,” he said.
NBR chairman Golam Hossain said the awareness about tax paying has increased among people in recent times. “The NBR is not going to impose extra-tax on those who’re already in the habit of paying taxes, but is working to expand the tax base,” he added.
Golam Hossain also noted that the efforts for the expansion, revival of the tax administration, particularly the automation, have been going on at a great pace.
Presided over by the NBR chairman, the award-giving ceremony was also addressed by Jikrul Ahmed, MP, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president Kazi Akram Uddin and NBR member (tax administration) Bashir Uddin.
Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the occasion.
In his message, President Hamid applauded the role of income tax in establishing social justice, balanced distribution of resources, and reducing disparity between the rich and the poor.
He urged all concerned to put in their best efforts in formulating a simple tax procedure to develop the tax paying culture in the country.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, greeted all the taxpayers and the tax officials on the National Tax Day.
Hasina noted that the tax collection target of the country has been accomplished in recent years due to the introduction of e-payment by the NBR, and also for the increase in the mass awareness about tax paying.
She called upon all concerned to keep up with the recent success in tax collection.
NBR, in a bid to encourage the tax payers, will also arrange Tax Fairs in seven divisional headquarters from September 16 to September 22. Tax Fairs will also be organised in 54 districts for two days and for one day in the three hill districts, beginning on Monday.
Citizens will be able to avail themselves of several services in the Tax Fairs, including online re-registration and e-TIN registration.
The Tax Fair in Dhaka will be held the Officers’ Club premises.
Source: UNBConnect
