The revenue board has introduced a two-tier verification system with passports and other valid documents to check inclusion of fake TIN (Taxpayer's Identification Number) in the new online TIN database.
The system has been launched after the National Board of Revenue (NBR) found some taxpayers using fake and false e-TIN to avail different services.
The income tax wing took the decision to introduce the system in a meeting last month following concern over detection of false e-TIN.
Specially, non-resident Bangladeshis and others, who do not have national identity (NID) cards have to produce passports and visas for obtaining e-TIN for availing different services.
Currently, taxpayers' information is being crosschecked with the NID number prior to issuance of e-TIN.
With the two-tier system, circle offices will have to upload the original copies of passports of e-TIN seekers in the 'upload verified documents' menu in the income tax website.
The income tax wing recently sent letters to all its circles across the country to furnish data of passports to the board prior to giving final e-TIN verification approval.
The concerned tax offices will have to upload a copy of original passport in the TIN verification site so that the NBR can cross-check the information prior to issuance of online TIN.
After approval of the NBR, verification of information of taxpayers would be completed and the taxmen will issue a new online TIN.
The NBR launched the e-TIN system on July 1, 2013 with an aim to issue the tax registration number through online and clear all previous fake and duplicate TINs.
The tax officials said the system has reduced hassle of taxpayers on obtaining TIN.
Some 1.5 million taxpayers obtained e-Tin until January, 2015. Of them, some 5,00,000 are new taxpayers who obtained a fresh TIN while the rest are existing ones who have re-registered themselves.
Tax officials said verification would ensure inclusion of genuine TINs in the data-base while detecting the fake ones.
Earlier, the NBR's old TIN database has some 3.8 million TINs while the number of actual tax-returns is less than 1.0 million.
Officials said the verification system would thwart the inclusion of fake TIN in the system as the NBR would be able to check the information of the taxpayers in two stages.
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