Al Amin :
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) wants taxpayers to be transparent in filing their tax returns and to submit it on time to avoid unwanted hassle.
Otherwise, they may have to face untold sufferings for discontinuation and incorrect information, the NBR officials said.
According to the Income Tax Guidelines for FY 2021-22, it is mandatory to file income tax return within the stipulated time.
Penalty with 50 per cent interest or delayed charge will be levied, if the taxpayer fails to file the income tax return on time, according to the sections 124 and 73 of the Income-tax Ordinance.
Even, the irregular taxpayers may have to be imprisoned. So, avoiding such unwanted sufferings, the taxpayer identification number (TIN) holders must submit their returns within the stipulated time.
“The TIN holders, sometimes, don’t file their returns unconsciously or file return hiding information. But it may cause of big sufferings for them as we audit three to five per cent submitted returns every year,” AKM Badiul Alam, Commissioner of Tax Zone-1, told the New Nation.
“Besides, tax officials can reopen tax file, if get specific information. So, the taxpayers to be more cautious in filing return to avoid penalty and sufferings,” he said.
For an example, Ahsan Ali, hails from Khilgaon, had taken TIN in 1988 and submitted his return till 1994. Later, he shifted from Khilgaon to Mohammadpur and did not submit returns for the next five years (1995 to 1999) due to unknown reason.
Ahsan also taken another TIN from the Tax Zone-2 hiding information of the previous one in 2000, e-TIN in 2013 and submits his return regularly.
Suddenly, a terrible suffering came down on him for failing to submit returns for five years against the previous TIN and the tax officials issued show-cause notices asking to pay Tk7.62 lakh.
Getting no response from the taxpayers, the NBR official filed case and the police arrested him from Mohammadpur. Since then, he is in jail.
Like Ahsan, hundreds of taxpayers, who file return irregularly or hide information, are facing untold sufferings years after years.
“There is negligence among the taxpayers regarding income tax. Later, they fell into various difficulties. People usually come to us, when they are in danger and lose a lot,” said Imran Gazi, an income tax lawyer.
“There is no chance of filing irregular returns. Many people think it is possible to manage the tax office. It is not a right thinking. Taxpayers do not want to understand that there can be jail and fines for tax complications,” he said.
“I want to tell the irregular taxpayers that problems, always, cannot be solved by money. So, they should return files in regular basis to remain hassle-free,” the lawyer said.
