NBR to organise tax fair at upazila level

The National Board of Revenue plans to organise tax fair at the upazila level for the first time this year to bring more people under the tax net.

The event will take place in 29 upazilas for two days and 57 upazilas for a day between September 16 and September 22, an NBR official said yesterday.

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Weeklong tax fairs will take place at divisional cities, including the capital, he added. The NBR has been organising such fairs since 2010.

Currently, around 12 lakh people submit tax returns out of 17 lakh who have taxpayer identification numbers (TIN), according to the tax administrator.

But the NBR thinks the number should be higher, given the steady economic growth of the country, rising income and a growing middle-class. Officials said there are many potential taxpayers at the upazila level, where many remain out of the tax net due to the absence of tax offices there.

The NBR will also organise the fair for four days between September 16 and September 22 in district towns. In Dhaka, the show will take place at Officers' Club. Since the beginning, the fair has gained popularity as taxpayers say it gives them a hassle-free environment, thanks to tax-related assistance provided by taxmen at the show.

Last year, the weeklong event brought the state coffer a record Tk 1,675 crore, which was 50 percent higher than the amount collected from the fair in the previous year.

The fair also attracted a record 6.49 lakh visitors and the number of tax returns submitted last year was also the highest -- 1.49 lakh. Some 15,907 persons had signed up online for TIN at the fair, up 23 percent from the previous show, according to the NBR.