Hassle-free tax payment with mytax

The first of its kind in Bangladesh, the program has been developed by CDS IT Limited to aid the preparation of income tax forms for national citizens.

With mytax version 1.0, tax filing can be done in an easily outlined manner, as per national income tax laws (Income Tax Ordinance 1984).

Accessing the software involves both computer and phone transactions. After installation and registration of the software, the user is required to call customer service and collect the product number corresponding to the product's given registration number displayed on the registration menu. This security process is rather tedious and may have been better if bypassed.

Another glitch in the marketing lies in the fact that only the person whose name has been keyed into the registration menu can prepare his income tax return form. Any other individual would need to re-install the program and then go through the entire monotonous process again.

A total of three forms, namely the Self Assessment Return IT-11 GA (Form Ka), the Self Assessment Return IT-11 Gha (Form Kha) and the Regular Return IT-11 GA (Form Ka) can be prepared through the software.

The Help option, unfortunately, is not as helpful as it could be. As the program was developed with the help of income tax officers, the help write-up is extremely technical, presenting an obstacle to laymen tax filers.

"Due to our late release we have not made much headway in sales, though we have received numerous calls from interested individuals," said Emdad Hossain, manager, CDS IT Limited. The software was released on October 15.

Mytax version 1.2, to be released next year, is expected to have additional features that will provide specialized help to corporate firms, businesses, and agricultural institutions. The newer version will cover topics on capital gains, interest on securities. It will also list tax requirements for Bangladeshis residing outside of Bangladesh and for diplomats residing in Bangladesh.