DHAKA: Finance Minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhith paid first as the country’s complicated old system of income-tax payment went online Sunday, in a major step forward in digitizing Bangladesh.     

The National Board of Revenue began collecting income-tax returns online. To begin with, Dhaka tax zone 8-A was brought under the system.

Finance Minister Muhith at his secretariat office officially inaugurated the trial run of online income-tax-submission system by paying his own taxes.  

He said, “As a pilot project Dhaka 8-A zone has been brought under the system. All 18 tax zones of Dhaka will be covered within next year.

“Through the process payment of income tax will be easier and harassment-free,” the finance minister hoped.

In his tax-return description the custodian of exchequer mentioned his total asset worth one crore 27 lakh 25 thousand and 646 taka.

Informing that the total number of income taxpayers is now 8 lakh in the country, Muhith hoped to raise it to one crore by hooking potential taxpayers onto the net.

How to pay the tax

Interested people will collect a secret PIN code against his name from the office of tax-zone office and log in www.taxzone-8.org for online return submission. To get the pin code passport-sized photo and copy of national identity card will be required.

An internet service center in tax zone- 8 has already been set up to make the system available to the taxpayers, officials informed.

There are around 40,000 taxpayers in this zone, and NBR officials expect over 30,000 of them would pay tax online.      


BDST: 1438 HRS, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010