National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan has hinted at the possibility of further extension of income-tax return-submission deadline, as many registered taxpayers are yet to file their returns digitally.
Speaking about the possible extension, Mr. Khan mentioned that the NBR would assess the situation based on the trends in return submissions.
"Once we observe that a significant percentage of registered taxpayers have filed their returns, we will realise that most of the work has been done. We expect that around 1.5 million more taxpayers would submit their returns online," he said.
He further said the government might consider an extension, if needed, after evaluating the situation and holding discussions with the finance adviser.
The NBR chairman made the observations while inaugurating an income-tax return submission support booth at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Monday.
The event was attended by DRU President Abu Saleh Akon, General Secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel, and Finance Secretary Niaz Mahmud Sohel.
During the event, a request for further extension of the return submission deadline was made.
The DRU has launched a special initiative to assist its members in preparing and submitting their income tax returns.
To enhance transparency, Mr. Khan emphasised that a digital platform had been introduced, enabling taxpayers to file their returns easily.
He also mentioned that audits would be conducted automatically through the data to be generated by the digital system.
While most tax returns are being submitted online, a limited number of returns are still accepted manually, especially for senior citizens.
And those manually submitted returns are converted into digital records by NBR officials, said the NBR chief.
He, however, assured that the system was being regularly updated based on taxpayers' feedback.
Regarding the ongoing improvements in return filing, Mr. Khan said preparations are underway for the introduction of a digital VAT return submission system, which is set to be launched next year. The NBR is also working on an app, aimed at further simplification of the return filing process.
Moreover, the NBR is integrating data from the Central Depository Bangladesh Limited (CDBL) and banks to automatically update information related to capital market investments and other sources of income in tax returns.
Such integration will get rid of taxpayers to manually gather certificates for dividends, interest income, or savings instruments.
"From the next fiscal year, savings-related information will be directly obtained from banks, streamlining the entire process," said the NBR chairman.
He also assured that such investment and income details would remain private and accessible only to the respective taxpayers, with no unauthorised access.
Furthermore, NBR officials will not have any access to personal financial data of taxpayers, he mentioned.
At present, taxpayers can submit their returns online without requiring to upload any documents.
After paying income tax via any banking channel or mobile financial service, taxpayers instantly receive an automated e-return acknowledgment.
The NBR chairman said around 4.2 million taxpayers have registered for online return submission and over 2.6 million of them have already filed their returns.
However, submission of approximately 1.5 to 1.6 million returns still remains pending, he said.
Mr. Khan, however, observed that receiving all pending returns within the next week might be challenging, as around 15,000 taxpayers register daily for e-return submission.
In late November, the NBR extended the original return submission deadline for individual taxpayers by one month until December 31.
The NBR chairman also reiterated that taxpayers with higher incomes would pay higher amounts of taxes, while those having no income would not be burdened.
The online system also provides taxpayers with the option to update their returns within 180 days of submission, he mentioned.
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