NID or passport mandatory
The National Board of Revenue on Monday began issuing taxpayer identification number certificates online to make the system easy, reduce hassles of taxpayers and
prevent issuance of fake TIN and its misuse.
From now on, taxpayers will have to receive TIN online from anywhere and any time through the dedicated website of NBR–www.incometax.gov.bd.
Those without internet facility will be able to take TIN online by visiting income tax offices across the country.
Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith inaugurated the system titled ‘e-TIN registration’ at a programme at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel.
Under the system, all taxpayer will be provided new TIN contained 12-digit while existing TIN holders will have to register in the system to take 12-digit instead of existing 10-digit TINs by December 31 this year. The existing TINs will be invalid from January 1, 2014.
National identity card or passport number will be mandatorily required for individual taxpayer and incorporation number of Register of Joint Stock Companies and Firms for registered companies to receive TIN certificates.
The finance minister said that the government introduced the e-TIN registration system so that every taxpayer can take TIN certificate easily through internet and pay taxes online.
He said Bangladesh needs to develop a better tax payment culture to increase revenue collection. Currently less than 1 per cent of total population pay income tax.
‘Our next target is to bring at least 3 per cent to 5 per cent of population under tax net while by next fiscal year the tax paying population will reach to 1 per cent,’ he said.
By 2015, income tax will be the first source of revenue collection, he hoped, saying that in the current fiscal year that began from July 1 it remains as second highest source of total revenue collection.
Urging capable people to pay tax, information minister Hasanul Haq Inu said that there would be at least 30,000 people having the ability to pay income tax of at least Tk 1 crore each.
‘We should pay tax so that the government can provide more services smoothly,’ he said.
NBR chairman Ghulam Hussain disclosed that the revenue board declared around 14 lakh existing TINs invalid terming these TINs as fake, inactive and duplicate.
Such TIN holders did not submit income tax returns for many years, he said.
The NBR found only 17 lakh TINs as valid from the existing 32 lakh TINs.
Now, the revenue board will create a database of taxpayers to create accuracy and transparency in the system, he added.
Hussain also said that the tax administration would introduce income tax return submission online.
He hoped that the revenue board would succeed in achieving the revenue collection target of Tk 1,36,090 crore set by the government for the fiscal year 2013-14.
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed also called upon the businessmen to pay their tax regularly.
Member of parliament Shah Zikrul Ahmed, NBR member Rahela Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the programme.
Under the e-TIN registration, applicant will have to register first at the income tax website and then register for new TIN or for changing existing TIN.
The system will verify the information in a few minutes through cross-checking with national identity card, passport or RJSC.
If information is found correct, TIN certificate will be issued instantly and the process will be completed within few minutes.
Applicants will be able to print the generated TIN certificate or save or forward it to his or her e-mail address.
-With New Age input
