Taxpayers' service centre opens in Chittagong today

Doulot Akter Mala

The country's first taxpayers' service and information centre will open in port city Chittagong today (Friday) as tax officials have found that taxpayers of the second biggest city are deprived of better services.

The service centre, with all modern facilities, will provide all types of support to the taxpayers including filing tax returns, obtaining Taxpayer's Identification Number (TIN) and other services.

Taxpayers can know about their arrear tax in the service centre, officials said.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) will open a similar taxpayers' service centre in Dhaka this month, said NBR Member (tax administration) Syed Aminul Karim.

He said there is untapped potentiality of raising tax collection from port city Chittagong.

The centres will help hassle-free filing of tax returns by the country's nearly a million taxpayers without coming physically to tax offices, he said.

Time for filing tax returns by individual taxpayers started from July 1 and will continue until September 30.

"It will be a state-of-the-art service centre. No fees or charges will be required for obtaining services in the centre," Mr. Karim said.

Main objective of the service and information centre is to eliminate fear factor and help taxpayers get all types of tax-related services without coming to the tax offices, he said.

The tax department has set up the centre with the financial support of the Department for International Department (DFID), he said.

Retired and fresh income tax officials of the NBR will be posted in the centres to provide free advisory services on tax laws, rules and other tax-related regulations.

Aminul Karim said the success of tax fairs the NBR hosted in September last year proved that taxpayers were willing to pay taxes if they got simple and hassle-free system.

Officials said the NBR will also arrange such tax fairs this year in September prior to expiry of the deadline for submission of individual tax returns.

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Tamim faces Shakib in key T20 match today

Bangladesh national skipper Shakib Al Hasan’s Worcestershire will face vice captain Tamim Iqbal’s Nottinghamshire in the Friends Life T20 at Trent Bridge today.

This is the second clash between the two teams with Notts winning the first match back in july 5.

The Notts Outlaws have to beat Worcestershire Royals today stay top in the North Group of the Friends Life T20 after losing out to Lancashire in a rain-reduced encounter at Old Trafford.

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has scored 104 runs in four matches in the Notts outfit, and has so far justified himself in David Hussey’s spot. Sources confirmed that the club officials are happy from his service so far which might be rewarded with a full year contract next season. But today the pressure will be on the left handed batsman as it will be his last appearance according to the contract.

On the other hand, Shakib who was judged man of the match in his last appearance will be determined to apply his tricks today at the Trent Bridge to help his side bag a win that will allow Worcester to stick to the fourth position of the North Group.

The match is scheduled to start at midnight.

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Kool-BSJA Media Cup Football final today

The final match of the Kool-BSJA Media Cup Football Tournament will be held today (Friday) at 10:30 am at the Handball Stadium in the capital, reports UNB.

Two private satellite television networks - RTV and ETV - will meet in the title-deciding match of the tournament, organized by Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA).

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56-man team leaves for Spl Olympics today

Bangladeshi athletes who are going to take part in the Special Olympic Summer Games in six disciplines pose for photograph during a official photo session in the city Sunday. Hopes are very high as a strong 56-member of Special Olympics Bangladesh contingent will leave here for Greece today (Tuesday) to take part in the Special Olympic Summer Games, reports BSS.

This year Game is expected to be more colourful and more entertaining beginning from June 25, Saturday next in Athens.

This year's Special Olympic Summer Games is expected to attract near about 7,500 intellectual disabilities athletes. Participants from 182 countries will be competing in 22 Olympic-type sports.

However 40 Bangladeshi athletes would be competing in six disciplines - athletics, swimming, badminton, table tennis, football and bocce, a sports quite similar to bowling.

Bangladesh have been participating in the Special Olympics from the 1995 New Heaven Summer Games in United State where the Bangladesh athletes hogged the headlines capturing 20 medals including six gold and the intellectual-challenged athletes maintained their success in last Special Olympics in Shanghai in China, 2007.

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