The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has introduced automated challan system to facilitate deposition of some 196 types of revenues and fees to national exchequer.
NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem and Finance Division Senior Secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder jointly inaugurated the automated challan System on Thursday morning virtually, reports BSS.
The ‘Improvement of Public Financial Services Delivery through Implementation of BACS and iBAS++Scheme’ under the ‘Strengthening Public Financial Management Programme to Enable Service Delivery (SPFMS)’ Programme of the Finance Division has innovated the system.
According to a press release, the newly-introduced system would ease the existing system of depositing money to the state coffer through treasury challans and would reduce sufferings of the clients. It would also check deposition of fake challans and avert the trend of tax evasion.
Under the system, anyone would be able to deposit the money of treasury challans at Bangladesh Bank or any other branch of the commercial banks in due time.
Besides, the clients will also be able to deposit the money of treasury challans through online banking and mobile financial system as well as through cash, cheques and account debit.
In case of depositing money through cash, online banking or mobile financial system, the clients will get copies of their challans immediately.
The clients will get slips subject to the clearance of their cheques for depositing money through cheques. They will also get text messages in their mobile phones at every tier of issuance of cheques and challans.
Regarding deposition of money through online banking or mobile financial system, the amount will directly be deposited to the state Coffer through Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) of the Bangladesh Bank.
The automated challans System will be implemented across the country in three phases.
In the first phase, it will be implemented at all the branches of the four state-owned banks namely Sonali, Janata, Agrani and Rupali at Dhaka metropolis.
In the 2nd phase, this system will be implemented at all the branches of commercial banks at Dhaka metropolitan area while lastly it will be implemented across the country through all the commercial bank branches.
The operations of this system began on Thursday through depositing income taxes of individual and company level under the tax zone-4 in Dhaka. It will be possible to deposit some 196 types of revenues and fees through this system including VAT, land registration and car registration fees.
The release said if this automated challan system could be implemented in full-scale, then it would be possible to bring in an epoch-making progress in the revenue management of the government side by side transparency and accountability will be ensured in the Revenue deposition system.
Besides, it will also help the government in determining its fiscal position and framing the debt management strategy.
Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor Ahmed Jamal, NBR member (tax policy) M Alamgir Hossain, National Programme Director of SPFMS and Additional Secretary of the Finance Division (Budget-1) M Habibur Rahman, were present, among others, on the occasion.