Online tax return becomes mandatory from FY25-26

Staff Reporter :

In a major shift towards digital governance, the government of Bangladesh is set to make online income tax return submission compulsory for all individual taxpayers starting from the fiscal year 2025-26.

Sources within the Ministry of Finance have confirmed that this announcement will be officially made by Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed during his presentation of the national budget on June 2.

This move builds on earlier efforts to digitize tax administration. In the ongoing fiscal year, the government made online tax return submission mandatory for all government employees residing in Dhaka, Narayanganj, and Gazipur, along with selected private sector employees.

According to data from the National Board of Revenue (NBR), these initiatives led to approximately 16 lakh (1.6 million) tax returns being submitted through the online platform.

At present, Bangladesh has about 1.15 crore (11.5 million) active Tax Identification Number (TIN) holders. Of these, roughly 45 lakh (4.5 million) filed income tax returns in the last fiscal year.

The new mandate is expected to significantly increase the number of online submissions and enhance transparency, efficiency, and compliance in the country’s taxation system.

The NBR is also expected to ramp up awareness campaigns and technical support in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition to the fully digital system.

Taxpayers across all districts will be required to adapt to the new process starting July 2025, as manual return submissions will no longer be accepted.