Income tax fair ends with record turnout, NBR collects Tk 22.17bn

The weeklong income tax fair has ended with a record turnout of 1.1 million visitors, of which around 300,000 taxpayers submitted their returns.

The NBR has collected Tk 22.17 billion in taxes in a week at the fair this year, up 4.12 percent from Tk 22.12 billion in last year's fair. Around 200,000 taxpayers had submitted their returns last year at the fair, according to NBR.

On the final day on Tuesday alone, the NBR collected tax worth Tk 4.26 billion with over 66,000 returns. About 225,000 people were served on the day, the organisers said. The NBR served the visitors until around midnight.

Other than the tax returns, the visitors received other services relating to the tax.

For the first time this year, the taxpayers in Dhaka and Chittagong were issued with Tax ID Card and stickers, and there were long queues to collect those document at the fair organised by the National Board of Revenue at NBR Bhaban at Agargaon in Dhaka.

Visitors told bdnews24.com the tax card and stickers were the added attraction of the fair this year.  

The number of visitors who received services at the fair rose by about 26 percent this year. Last year, some 900,000 people visited the fair and around 200,000 of them submitted returns.

On the last day of the fair, hundreds of them were seen standing in long queues until 8pm.

Many of them rushed to the fair after office hours as the organisers had announced to keep the fair open 'until the last person is served'.

Some were seen submitting returns at 10:45pm. The fair finally ended after around midnight.

Azizur Rahman, a banker from Mirpur, said he came to the fair after work. "I've been waiting in the queue for Tax ID Card for an hour after submitting the return. I don't know when I will be able to collect the card," he said around 8pm.

Asked why he was at the fair, he said, "Otherwise I will not get the tax card."

Manzur Quader Talukder, a leather technologist in his 60s, complained about the 'NBR grilling' while paying tax. "They question me as if I am a criminal. That's why I've come to the fair," he said.     

State-owned Sonali Bank and Janata Bank set up booths to collect income tax at the fair.

Sonali Bank booth in-charge Paritosh Biswas said, "It feels good to think that this fair is playing a key role in creating Bangladesh's tax culture."

Nazia Afrin, a private firm executive, complained about the lack of toilets at the fair. She had problems to queue for toilet also after rushing to the fair from work.

"It's  unfortunate that only one toilet has been kept for hundreds of women," she said.

A closing ceremony was organised in the evening. NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman presided over the event attended by Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam, among others. A cultural event was also held.