Nearly 100,000 taxpayers submitted income tax returns online in the first 10 days of the 2025–26 assessment year, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) said yesterday, marking a fivefold increase from the same period last year.

From August 4 to August 13, a total of 96,945 individual taxpayers filed electronically, a rise officials attributed to the government’s renewed digitisation drive after Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed formally launched the e-return filing system on August 4.

A special order issued on August 3 made online filing mandatory for all individual taxpayers except those aged 65 or above, persons with disabilities, Bangladeshi expatriates, and legal representatives of deceased persons. An amendment on August 11 also exempted foreign nationals working in Bangladesh.

Taxpayers unable to file online can apply to their deputy tax commissioners with justification by 31 October. With approval from higher tax authorities, they may submit paper-based returns.

Returns can be filed and payments made through banks, cards, and mobile financial services, including bKash, Rocket, and Nagad. Filers can immediately download acknowledgement slips and tax certificates.

The NBR has set up a call centre (09643 71 71 71) and an eTax service on its portal to address queries. It urged eligible taxpayers to accurately declare income, expenses, assets, and liabilities, and complete filings within the deadline.