The National Board of Revenue has initiated a plan to digitalise its tax audit selection process, replacing the long-standing manual method, to eliminate human interference and restore taxpayer confidence.
The move comes in response to ongoing complaints from taxpayers who claim the existing manual system exposes them to unnecessary harassment. NBR chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan confirmed the development: 鈥榃e have begun working on digitizing the selection process to ensure it is objective and transparent.鈥�
He acknowledged NBR鈥檚 鈥榠mage crisis鈥� concerning how tax audit files are selected. 鈥楾axpayers often complain that the manual selection process is subjective, and this has damaged trust in the system,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥極ur goal is to eliminate any confusion by fully automating the audit selection process, free from human intervention.鈥�
In line with the NBR鈥檚 ongoing transition to a digital system, the authority has temporarily suspended the selection of new tax files for audits. Following the formation of the interim government, NBR鈥檚 member of taxes (tax audit, intelligence and investigation), Md Alamgir Hossain, issued a directive instructing all field-level tax offices to halt new audit selections until further notice. The decision aims to address the complexities faced by both taxpayers and tax officials under the existing manual process.
