Kamruzzaman Bablu :
As Wednesday was the last day for income tax return submission, taxpayers rushed to tax offices in large numbers at the eleventh hour in the city.
Failure to submit income tax return by last day will result in a 2 percent penalty on the payable tax for each month it was delayed, officials said.
Earlier, the NBR declared that deadline won’t be extended as it was already deferred for two months from Sept 30.
However, the taxpayers may seek an extension for submission of the returns subject to valid reasons.
After visiting several tax offices in the city’s Segun Bagicha and other areas, this correspondent found that field offices of tax opened such booths and decorated the entrances giving a festive mood in the surrounding area as the National Board of Revenue observes a Tax Week to provide better services to taxpayers in the last day.
To help taxpayers submit returns, most of the field offices have opened booths at the ground floors of their offices gave the flavor to tax fair.
“It has become convenient for me. This atmosphere gives me the feeling of tax fair,” said a mid-aged Kamal Hossain after getting the acknowledgement receipt from the booth opened by the Tax Zone 6 in line with other tax zones.
It took couple of minutes for Kamal Hossain to get the acknowledgement receipt from the makeshift booth opened by the tax office just at the ground floor of its entrance to assist taxpayers.
This is the first time the NBR has been observed Tax Week since November 24 to help individual taxpayers submit income statements for the year 2016-17 on or before the deadline.
The NBR kept all the filed offices of tax open on the last two weekly public holidays (Friday and Saturday) to attend taxpayers from 9 am to 8 pm every day until yesterday.
On Wednesday, Zinan Binte Zaman, Philosophy lecturer of Dhaka College, came to the tax office with filled-up tax return and got his job done after waiting in a queue. Like him, several hundreds of taxpayers submitted their tax returns.
“This arrangement is really good and helpful. Taxpayers usually had to face many hassles and undue demands when they visited offices,” she said but added that the tax authority should facilitate online tax return submission and ensure that taxpayers getting tax certificate online.
New taxpayer Zahid Jubaer, a businessman, however could not fully happy. She expected that someone from the tax office would assist her to fill up the tax return. She sought for assistance but did not anyone available to help her. Later Jubaer, completed the form with the assistance from some of her peers.
“Except this, everything was fine,” he said,” They should have some arrangement to help new taxpayers file returns.”
He said the tax authority will take initiative so that banks remain open to facilitate tax collection during tax week the next year.
According to the Income Tax Act, taxpayers having annual income above Tk2.50 lakh have to pay income tax.
Meanwhile, Income Tax Week, that began on November 24, to provide income tax related facility to taxpayers. The NBR offices across the country would remain open from 9:00am to 8:00pm on Wednesday to provide services to taxpayers including the submission of income tax return, registration with e-TIN, providing user ID and password for online return submission to taxpayers etc.
As Wednesday was the last day for income tax return submission, taxpayers rushed to tax offices in large numbers at the eleventh hour in the city.
Failure to submit income tax return by last day will result in a 2 percent penalty on the payable tax for each month it was delayed, officials said.
Earlier, the NBR declared that deadline won’t be extended as it was already deferred for two months from Sept 30.
However, the taxpayers may seek an extension for submission of the returns subject to valid reasons.
After visiting several tax offices in the city’s Segun Bagicha and other areas, this correspondent found that field offices of tax opened such booths and decorated the entrances giving a festive mood in the surrounding area as the National Board of Revenue observes a Tax Week to provide better services to taxpayers in the last day.
To help taxpayers submit returns, most of the field offices have opened booths at the ground floors of their offices gave the flavor to tax fair.
“It has become convenient for me. This atmosphere gives me the feeling of tax fair,” said a mid-aged Kamal Hossain after getting the acknowledgement receipt from the booth opened by the Tax Zone 6 in line with other tax zones.
It took couple of minutes for Kamal Hossain to get the acknowledgement receipt from the makeshift booth opened by the tax office just at the ground floor of its entrance to assist taxpayers.
This is the first time the NBR has been observed Tax Week since November 24 to help individual taxpayers submit income statements for the year 2016-17 on or before the deadline.
The NBR kept all the filed offices of tax open on the last two weekly public holidays (Friday and Saturday) to attend taxpayers from 9 am to 8 pm every day until yesterday.
On Wednesday, Zinan Binte Zaman, Philosophy lecturer of Dhaka College, came to the tax office with filled-up tax return and got his job done after waiting in a queue. Like him, several hundreds of taxpayers submitted their tax returns.
“This arrangement is really good and helpful. Taxpayers usually had to face many hassles and undue demands when they visited offices,” she said but added that the tax authority should facilitate online tax return submission and ensure that taxpayers getting tax certificate online.
New taxpayer Zahid Jubaer, a businessman, however could not fully happy. She expected that someone from the tax office would assist her to fill up the tax return. She sought for assistance but did not anyone available to help her. Later Jubaer, completed the form with the assistance from some of her peers.
“Except this, everything was fine,” he said,” They should have some arrangement to help new taxpayers file returns.”
He said the tax authority will take initiative so that banks remain open to facilitate tax collection during tax week the next year.
According to the Income Tax Act, taxpayers having annual income above Tk2.50 lakh have to pay income tax.
Meanwhile, Income Tax Week, that began on November 24, to provide income tax related facility to taxpayers. The NBR offices across the country would remain open from 9:00am to 8:00pm on Wednesday to provide services to taxpayers including the submission of income tax return, registration with e-TIN, providing user ID and password for online return submission to taxpayers etc.
