Anybody who has paid tax, irrespective of the amount, will get tax card as an incentive to pay tax properly in the furutre.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith said it on Sunday while speaking at a pre-budget meeting with chairmen of different parliamentary standing committees at National Economic Council (NEC) auditorium.
"If anyone pays only one Taka income tax, he or she will also be eligible to get the tax card," said he.
In the meeting, the chairmen of parliamentary standing committees placed a number of suggestions for consideration before finalising the upcoming national budget for 2018-19 financial year (FY19).
They placed many suggestions including widening the tax and Value Added Tax (VAT) net, developing the quality of education and introducing upazila level top tax payer award.
Chairman of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Forest and Environment Mohammad Hasan Mahmud proposed to increase the tax-free income ceiling for individuals to Tk 500,000 in the next budget for FY19 for encouraging tax payers to pay tax properly.
According to a BSS report, he said the tax rate for individuals is very high, which creates a tendency to evade taxes.
"If the tax rate is reduced, many will be encouraged to pay taxes," he added.
He also recommended providing incentives to the business community to increase the collection of VAT.
Parliament Members Simeen Hussain (Rimi), Dr. A.F.M. Ruhal Haque, Major General (Retd.) Mohammad Shubid Ali Bhuiyan, M Zahid Ahsan Russel and Rebecca Momin, among others, also spoke on the occasion.
