The National Board of Revenue will hold annual income tax fair in all 64 districts for the first time this year to motivate eligible persons to pay income tax and raise awareness among the people, officials of the NBR said. The week-long fair, forth in its kind, will take place in September 16-22 in all the divisional cities while the fair will be two-day long at the districts level during the period, they said.
Last year, the NBR organised the fair in the divisional headquarters and in 11 important districts.
Besides holding the tax fair, the NBR will also observe September 15 as Income Tax Day and reward 405 highest and long-time taxpayers in recognition to their contribution in the financial years 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013.
Among them, the NBR will confer tax cards to 20 individuals and 20 companies for paying the highest amount of taxes in the FY11 and the FY12. Two long-time taxpayers and three highest individual taxpayers in the FY13 from each districts and city corporations will also be honoured.
According to the NBR plan, in Dhaka, the tax fair will take place at Officer’s Club where taxpayers will get one-stop services from taxmen.
The NBR officials said that they were emphasising on tax education and create a tax-payment culture among the people.
In the coming fair, the NBR will focus on electronic payment of taxes and online electronic registration of taxpayer identification number or e-TIN — an initiative that it launched on July 1.
Keeping it in mind, the NBR has fixed this year’s theme of tax fair as ‘Internet TIN registration absolutely easy’.
According to the rule, the new taxpayers will have to register online to take TINs while the existing TIN holders will have to re-register by December 31, 2013 for the new 12-digit number, which will replace the current 10-digit number on January 1, 2014.
NBR officials will help the people register as new taxpayers and replace old TINs into new ones, submit income tax returns and pay tax online.
During the last year’s fair the revenue authorities got Tk 838 crore taxes, more than double of the previous year’s collection of Tk 414 crore.
-With New Age input
