Inland Revenue Department (IRD) announced completion of all its preparations for National Tax Day and said Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai will felicitate 10 taxpayers, including top three largest taxpayers and also leading taxpayers from different sectors on the day.[break]
“We will also be felicitating experts who made significant contributions in reforming the country´s tax administration,” said Bishnu Nepal, deputy director general of IRD.
The department would also felicitate 10 best performing staffs in a bid to motivate officials in the tax administration.
Despite its preparations, DRI officials, however, expressed skepticism over strong involvement and participation from the private sector in the program, which aims to motivate the private sector to comply with the tax law, given the festive season. The National Tax Day falls on Friday this year, immediately after the Tihar festival.
Nonetheless, some of the business associations like contractors said they would be organizing motorcycle rally and other programs in different parts of the capital to mark the Day.
Thirteen taxpayers´ service centers in the Valley would also expand their outlets when IRD will celebrate the Tax Week, organize various awareness campaigns and issue permanent account number (PAN) card on the spot to the taxpayers.
The IRD worked out numerous programs aimed at building trust between tax administration and taxpayers after the cabinet meeting few weeks ago decided to mark November 16 as the National Tax Day and announced to felicitate taxpayers on the day.
Sources said IRD has already identified the taxpayers to be felicitated. They were identified based on modality proposed by an IRD sub-committee formed to carry out the task.
Moreover, Nepal said the IRD would also unveil its five-year Strategic Plan and three-year Reform Plan, disclosing various policy changes and organization restructuring it would carry out to make the revenue administration more taxpayer friendly.
Through the strategic and reforms plan, which has already been endorsed by the Ministry of Finance, the government aims to enhance tax compliance and enforcement, modernize the tax system further and revamp the IRD´s structure, increasing its coverage and access of services to the potential taxpayers. Through these plans, the government hopes to widen the tax net, significantly raising its collections.
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