The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has launched a master plan to digitise its operations, aiming to provide efficient digital tax services to all taxpayers.
“In the future, all NBR activities will be conducted through a digital platform. We will digitise everything. A master plan is in progress, and relevant projects have been initiated,” NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan said on Sunday.
He made the remarks at a workshop on addressing issues in the e-return system and exploring solutions. The event took place at the multipurpose conference room of the Revenue Building.
Chaired by NBR Member (Tax Information Management and Services) Abu Hannan Delwar Hossain, the workshop was also attended by NBR Member (Tax Administration and Human Resource Management) GM Abul Kalam Kaikobad as the special guest.
Khan stated that from July 1, the online return submission system will be fully operational.
Regarding concerns over data security, he assured that all information would be safely stored and that NBR plans to transition to a cloud-based storage system.
“If we can achieve this, storage issues will no longer be a concern,” he added.
Khan further mentioned that from the next fiscal year, corporate tax returns must be filed online.
“We intend to make online tax return submission mandatory for everyone, with some exceptions,” he said.
The chairman also noted that the new system would eliminate concerns about audit selection, as errors in tax calculations would be attributed to the system introduced by NBR.
“There will be extensive data availability. We will use artificial intelligence to automatically select files for audits based on objective criteria, ensuring no human intervention,” he said.
NBR introduced the online return filing system on September 9 last year to simplify tax return submissions and payments for the fiscal year 2024-2025.
Through the website www.etaxnbr.gov.bd, individual taxpayers can submit tax returns, download and print copies of submitted returns, acknowledgment letters, income tax certificates, and TIN certificates.
Taxpayers also benefit from online tax payments and adjustments via internet banking, debit/credit cards, and mobile banking.
Based on taxpayer feedback, the e-return filing process has been refined for better accessibility. More than 1.49 million taxpayers have filed their returns online this year, and over 1.89 million have completed registration for e-returns.
NBR hopes that once system issues are identified and resolved, all taxpayers will be able to file their tax returns online from the next tax year.
Initially, online tax return filing was optional. However, it has since been made mandatory for government employees under the jurisdiction of income tax circles in Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Gazipur, and Narayanganj City Corporations, along with certain sections of the private sector.
Online tax return filing has also been made compulsory for employees of all scheduled banks, mobile telecom service providers, and several multinational companies, including Unilever Bangladesh Limited, British American Tobacco Bangladesh Company Limited, Marico Bangladesh Limited, Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited, Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Limited, and Nestlé Bangladesh Plc.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
