Individual taxpayers will now be able to file income tax returns online throughout the year.
However there will be a 2% fine to avail this facility. This penalty can increase up to 48% for a maximum period of 24 months.
National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan made the announcement at a seminar on World Customs Day-2025 on Sunday.
On this occasion, the NBR awarded 16 officials with certificates of merit in recognition of their special contributions to the workplace.
Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, speaking at the program as chief guest, said: “The prices of all goods in the market can't change simultaneously. However, the price of rice has increased abnormally. As a result, people are suffering. Many essential items are out of their purchasing power. We understand that.”
Addressing the media, he further said: “You (journalists) should look at it positively. You cannot say everything is bad. The prices of onions and potatoes may have decreased, but the price of rice has increased a lot. Therefore, it is not right to say that everything is bad.”
NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan said: “Online return submission will not be limited to January 31. People can submit their returns 365 days of the year. However, the tax calculation up to January 31 would be different from the submission beyond January.”
“Automatically the taxpayers who submit their returns after January 31 will have to bear some penalty. The rate would be 2% extra over the tax amount for each month. The maximum ceiling is 24 months, and we will not take any interest over 48%,” he explained.
The NBR chairman also said: “Online return submission has gained popularity. Till today (January 26), some 1.2 million taxpayers submitted their returns through this system. I hoped that by January 31, 2025, the last day of the income tax return submission by individual taxpayers, it would be around 1.4 million.”
Khan highlighted the importance of customs, saying: "We impose taxes at customs; the main purpose is not to collect revenue. We want to grow local industries. Local industries will not grow unless we negotiate with external competitors.”
“A large amount of revenue is coming from VAT. Still, two-thirds of our revenue comes from indirect taxes. This does not mean that the importance of customs has decreased. The importance of customs for the country's security and trade facilitation remains the same,” the NBR chairman added.
