Fresh fiscal measures find higher e-TIN registrations

The pace of taking electronic taxpayer identification number (e-TIN) accelerated significantly in the current fiscal year.
According to revenue board data, the number of e-TIN- holders surged to 2.1 million until Sunday.
However, although the flow of e-TIN registration was impressive at the beginning of e-TIN introduction in 2013, it lost gear last year.
Officials found the e-TIN registration having regained its pace in recent months.
Some 135,000 new taxpayers obtained online TIN in the first two months of the current FY---July and August--- posting an impressive growth since the introduction of the e-TIN system.
Of the e-TIN-holders, some 132,000 are individuals while 3,000 companies and firms.
Until June 30, the number of holders of electronic TIN, known as e-TIN, was 1.9 million that included both new and re-registered taxpayers who obtained fresh TIN.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) data showed a substantial rise in the number of individual TIN-holders in FY 2016-17.
Talking to the FE, a senior income tax official said the number would jump to at least 2.5 million this fiscal year.
"We expect higher number of e-TIN-holders from individuals before the last day of submission of tax returns, November 30, this year," he said.
There is a provision stipulated in the income tax law under which all of the government employees receiving above Tk 16,000 in monthly salary must obtain e-TIN, he mentioned.
A large number of government officials will come onto the tax net with the provision, he said.
Private-sector employees in management, administrative function or in supervisory position in the production function will have to obtain e-TINs. Only workers in manufacturing units are exempt from obtaining e-TINs.
A number of measures to boost payroll tax will make both private-and public-sector employees tax-compliant.
In the current budget, the NBR also gave some instructions to the employers for ensuring e-TIN of their employees before providing salaries. Salary payment by the company will not be considered as allowable expense for tax exemption unless it complies with the provision.
Currently there are some 93,000 companies and firms that have e-TINs.
A total of 10,16,000 new taxpayers have obtained e-TIN until now while 10,00004 are existing ones who obtained fresh TIN.
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