The nationwide income tax fair may not be held this year as the National Board of Revenue (NBR) is considering to drop holding the programme to avoid mass gatherings and curb the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
The tax department of the NBR usually holds the tax fair across the country in the first week of November every year to allow ordinary taxpayers to file tax returns in a hassle-free environment. The tax fair generally takes place in the capital Dhaka, divisions, districts and upazilas.
“Preparations for this huge event start from August every year. However, this time the tax department is monitoring the corona infection situation. Senior officials in the tax department are a bit hesitant due to the recent rising trends in corona infection,” said an NBR official.
Talking to the Bangladesh Post, a senior NBR official said that taxpayers have a keen interest in the tax fairs. A good number of people crowd at the tax fair and it is really difficult to avoid this crowd amid the risk of corona transmission. So, the NBR is reluctant to organize the fair this year.
"A final decision will be taken in the first week of the next month," the NBR official added.
In the last 10 years, the tax fair organized by the NBR has become very popular among the taxpayers. According to NBR sources, if it is not possible to organize tax fairs, special assistance centers will be set up in each tax area for the convenience of taxpayers.
The NBR official said the tax fair was not organized last year due to Corona. In the first week of September last year, the NBR decided that there would be no tax fair. In the tax fair of 2019, a total of 8,55,000 lakh taxpayers submitted annual returns.
In 2010, the tax fair was introduced for the first time. The fair was held in Dhaka and Chittagong. Since then, the NBR was holding the fair every year. The last week-long tax fair was held in 2019 in all the divisional cities including the capital Dhaka.
Besides, fairs were also held in every district and more than 100 upazilas. At the tax fairs, the taxpayers get various services including issuing of TIN and filling-up the return form to pay tax.
"The tax fair has become popular among the taxpayers in the last 10 years as all the services are available under one roof," said the NBR official.
He said that annual income tax returns can be submitted till November 30 every year.
Through last year's fair, the NBR had collected Tk 2,613 crore in taxes. Some 6.55 lakh returns were submitted while 18.63 lakh people were said to have received tax related assistance.
