The tax revenue collection may record 22 to 25 per cent growth in the outgoing fiscal year (FY), 2017-18, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan has said.
The collection usually rises in the month of June. Until April, the revenue collection growth rate was 17.76 per cent, he added.
The NBR chairman was speaking on Monday at a mobile application (app) inauguration ceremony of the Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU) under the NBR's Value Added Tax (VAT) Wing.
The VAT LTU organised the programme at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh in the city.
The newly-launched mobile app can be downloaded and installed on any android phone.
The taxpayers will be able to avail different services through the app, and contact the LTU officials directly.
The NBR chairman further said achieving the Tk 2.96-trillion revenue collection target for the next FY will be a big challenge.
He, however, expressed his optimism over meeting the revenue target, and said the tax authority will focus on VAT collection to achieve it.
"The VAT administration will be brought under automation by the next one year," he added.
Chief Coordinator of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Affairs in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Md. Abul Kalam Azad attended the programme as the chief guest and inaugurated the app.
He said the mobile app will ensure transparency in the LTU activities.
"Some entities want to keep their activities non-transparent to get some undue facilities."
The online system can reduce time, cost and necessity (of the taxpayers) to visit the government offices, he added.
LTU Commissioner Md Matiur Rahman said the mobile app can be downloaded from Google play store.
All activities of the unit, contact details of its officials, VAT-depositing codes of the field offices across the country, and large VAT-payers details etc. are available in the app, he added.
The LTU is also working on developing a software for at-source VAT deduction of the banks.
It is currently conducting piloting of the software in 50 branches of the Janata Bank Limited.
The software has the capacity to handle over 1.0 million users. The LTU has 56,000 users for accessing the software.
The LTU officials said the government can earn additional revenue amounting to Tk 500 billion by using the software.
The NBR chairman said the board will invite tender soon to select companies for supplying Electronic Fiscal Device (EFD).
British American Tobacco (BTC), Bangladesh Chairman Golam Mainuddin and ACI Group Chairman Anis Ud Dowla, among others, spoke on the occasion.
LTU-VAT Deputy Commissioner Bodruzzaman Munshi gave a presentation on the proposed changes in VAT measures in the budget for FY 2018-19.
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