Tax booths get lukewarm response

Over 10 days past opening, booths receiving tax returns at the National Board of Revenue (NBR) field offices are yet to draw substantial crowds.

Though officials were in attendance, there was no rush of income tax payers. Most booths were empty.

The few taxpayers who did come complained that they were finding it hard to fill up the tax returns as there was no help desk to offer assistance in understanding the forms.

This is the second consecutive time the NBR has decided to open the booths instead of organising its customary annual income tax fair to avoid mass gatherings amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The booths will stay open for a month until November 30, the deadline for furnishing income tax returns without penalty.

Income tax returns will be received uninterrupted during office hours in 649 circles under 31 tax regions across the country in November. Officials said the number of taxpayers would increase towards the end of the month.

Taxpayers get a scope to register, and re-register if there are mistakes to correct, for a taxpayer identification number (TIN) electronically from the service booths.

The website of each tax region has the necessary information, including various forms related to income tax, circulars and guidelines, for filing returns.

Yesterday, this correspondent visited Tax Zone-10, located in the capital's Segunbagicha. The booths, with clear Perspex sheets on the front, were set up in the office building's garage, each with its own row for service seekers.

There are 1.54 lakh TIN holders, mostly doctors, under Tax Zone-10. Of them, over 50 per cent regularly file income tax returns.

Meeting up with one of them, Dr Habibul Haq of M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital in Dinajpur, gave a glimpse into the scenario.

"I came from Dinajpur just to submit the tax return. I did not face any problem. But I don't see any difference be it a fair or not. However, due to the absence of a help desk, I had to face some difficulties," he said.

Dr Tapos Kumar Roy, a taxpayer from the same zone, is the assistant registrar of Rangpur Medical College Hospital. "When I was transferred, I tried to transfer the TIN as well so that I could submit the return from there," he said.

"But when I contacted the tax authorities, an official told me the TIN transfer was a hassle. So it is better to submit the return where you have opened the TIN. So just come to Dhaka to submit the return," he added.

He said fairs usually had bank booths where payments could be made but now there were only return booths, for which he had to travel elsewhere to make the payment. "This is a hassle," he said.

"We have also received these allegations," said Kamrul hasan, deputy commissioner of taxes, of the zone.

He said it was not possible to provide all the fair's services in the office garage. "And now we are providing services only with our own manpower. There is no extra manpower," he said.

He said the TIN transfer process was not complicated and taxpayers just needed to better know about it.

An official of the tax zone said 15 to 20 returns were being submitted daily and the rate would increase after November 20.

Those who come last risk making a mistake so it is better to come early, he suggested.

Another official of Tax Zone-6 said they were receiving around 500 returns every day. He said the number of submission would increase at the end of the month.

Recently at a press conference, NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem said 13 lakh new e-TIN holders were registered in fiscal 2020-21, a 26 per cent year-on-year increase. At present, there are 68 lakh citizens with e-TIN.

"We are confident that we will be able to take the tax net to the desired level," he said, hoping to launch a comprehensive tax payment service online.