B Mirror Report: This year, all taxpayers are required to submit their income tax returns online. For the first time, however, the mandatory introduction of online return filing has put many taxpayers in difficulty particularly elderly individuals who lack the technical knowledge needed to complete the process.
Uttara businessman Maqbul Hasan, 60, is one such taxpayer. He is struggling to submit his e-return as he is unfamiliar with online systems.
“I used to submit my returns by going to the tax office every year. This time, I have to submit them online, but I don’t know how to do it,” Hasan told media. He said that even younger members of his family, despite being technologically savvy, are finding it difficult to fully understand the new system because it has been introduced for the first time. In his view, elderly taxpayers should be given some form of exemption.
Hundreds of taxpayers like Hasan are now facing similar problems. Elderly taxpayers and those living in districts and upazilas are reportedly suffering the most.
To assist taxpayers with online return submission, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has opened support booths in every tax region.
A visit this morning to the Segunbagicha Tax Region-11 office and several others, however, revealed that although the booths were in place, no taxpayers were present. In some cases, responsible staff were also absent from the support booths.
At around 11:00am, no one was found at the e-return booth at Segunbagicha Tax Region-11. Another employee at a nearby booth said the person in charge of the support centre was on leave. No service seekers were seen at the e-return booths in that tax region.
According to officials, taxpayers can receive assistance in filing their online returns at the e-return booths. To do so, they must bring proof of income such as a bank salary statement or other supporting documents a photograph, a photocopy of their Tax Identification Number (TIN), and other necessary papers. In addition, the taxpayer must have a mobile number registered using their National Identity Card; without this, online return submission is not possible.
To file a return, all taxpayers must visit the designated website and complete a registration process. After registering, they can log in using a password and submit their return online.
