Strict instructions are coming for those who have TIN but do not file returns!

National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman and Internal Revenue Department Secretary Abdur Rahman Khan has ordered strict action against those who do not file income tax returns despite having a Tax Identification Number (TIN). He said, "We have to work with those who do not file returns." He asked to ensure maximum utilization of the manpower and capacity of tax officials to increase tax collection.

The Chairman said that there are about one crore TIN holders in the country, of whom 7.2 million do not file income tax returns and about 3 million more taxpayers do not pay taxes despite filing returns. The main goal of the upcoming activities is to bring this large number of non-filers and TIN holders who have not paid taxes under the tax net. Tax collection must be ensured according to their capabilities.

In this context, he was speaking at the July Income Tax Revenue Review Meeting of the National Board of Revenue held on Monday. The meeting was attended by the Dhaka Tax Commissioner, Director General, First and Second Secretaries, and tax officials from outside Dhaka participated virtually.

In the meeting, the NBR Chairman directed tax officials to strengthen survey and spot assessment activities so that new taxpayers can be identified and the tax net can be expanded. He also directed to review the progress of tax zone-based arrears collection and resolve any problems quickly.

The Chairman also gave a strong message on tax file transfer. He said, "All income tax files must be transferred to the appropriate tax zone within this month so that taxpayers do not suffer harassment." He urged tax officials to be more proactive in this regard.

Regarding audits, he clarified, "The goal of audits is not tax collection, but prevention of tax evasion and development of tax culture." Audit selection will be done completely digitally, so that there is no human impact. The NBR is fully committed to ensuring transparency and accountability.

He further said that the role of income tax is important in reducing income and wealth inequality, creating a just society and collecting the necessary revenue for running the state. But unfortunately, the share of income tax in the total revenue collection of the NBR has not increased but has decreased somewhat in the outgoing fiscal year.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Income Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit, CIC Director General and others. All of them pledged to make joint efforts to identify non-filers, expand the tax net and collect arrears.

These instructions and guidelines of the Chairman are very important in building an income tax culture. If these timely initiatives are implemented, revenue collection will reach the desired level and it will be possible to build a prosperous, self-reliant economy.