The number of electronic filings of tax returns more than doubled to over 5 lakh since July this year, thanks to the steps taken by the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

Individual taxpayers filed 2.17 lakh returns between July 1 and November 24 of this fiscal year, according to the NBR.

At the same time, 12.5 lakh taxpayers have signed up for filing their tax return online, it said in a statement yesterday.

In order to encourage individual taxpayers to file returns electronically, the tax authority relaunched the e-filing portal on September 9, saying the latest version is user-friendly.

Last month it made online filing of tax returns compulsory for government officials under tax zones of the Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur city corporations, bankers, and officials of certain multinational companies for the current assessment year of 2024-25.

The NBR said the taxpayers can now download and take prints of the copies of the submitted returns, acknowledgement receipts, tax certificates and other documents.

They can also pay tax using cards, the internet, and mobile financial services.

Taxpayers are also getting round-the-clock services through call centres and emails, said the tax administration.

The NBR has trained 2,400 taxpayers on online return filing.

The tax administrator received 5 lakh tax returns online in the last assessment year of 2023-24, and it aims to double the electronic tax filing to 10 lakh this year.

Bangladesh has more than one crore registered taxpayers, but the tax administration received 44 lakh tax returns in assessment year 2023-24.