Calls Grow to Extend E-Return Deadline for FY 2025–26
Various tax lawyers’ associations and business representatives have written to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) demanding an extension of the deadline for submitting e-returns for the current 2025–26 tax year. The revenue authority is reportedly maintaining a positive stance on the matter.
According to relevant sources, a decision to extend the deadline may be taken subject to approval from the Finance Minister.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Tax Lawyers Association (BTLA) requested a two-month extension, while the Chattogram Tax Lawyers Association sought a one-month extension in separate letters to the NBR. In their correspondence, they presented 13 arguments in favor of extending the submission deadline.
The organizations cited several reasons, including server downtime and slow performance issues, complications with One-Time Password (OTP) verification, disruptions in inputting documents and challan numbers, electricity outages, consecutive holidays due to elections, amendments to the Income Tax Act, delayed issuance of circulars, and nationwide network problems that have caused difficulties for taxpayers. Additionally, they mentioned lack of expertise in filing e-returns, the ongoing economic crisis, and the busy period during Ramadan and Eid as logical grounds for extending the deadline.
Under the law, November 30 is generally the final date for submitting tax returns. However, this year the deadline was extended in three phases up to February 28. According to NBR sources, more than 3.9 million taxpayers have submitted their returns online so far, while nearly 300,000 have filed offline.
NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan stated that a decision will be made soon after discussions with the Finance Minister.
Meanwhile, in the first seven months of the current fiscal year, revenue collection has fallen short by Tk 60,113 crore. The largest deficit has occurred in the income tax sector, where approximately Tk 28,925 crore less revenue has been collected than the target.
DBTech/SMEH/EK/OR
