The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has officially launched a digital payment system for large-value corporate tax and VAT through the mobile financial service bKash, marking a major milestone in the government's push for a fully digitized revenue management system.

During the inauguration ceremony at NBR Bhaban on Sunday, NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan confirmed that the system has already successfully processed real-time transactions, proving its ability to handle high-value payments securely.

While individual taxpayers have previously used mobile services for small amounts, this new initiative allows corporations to settle massive liabilities—ranging from BDT 100 Crore to BDT 400 Crore—directly through digital wallets and merchant accounts.

The Chairman emphasized that the platform remains open to all licensed providers, including Nagad, Rocket, CellFin, and Upay, to foster a competitive and accessible digital landscape for large-scale compliance.

The shift toward digital transactions is expected to yield significant economic and security benefits, including the reduction of risks such as theft, fraud, and violent crime associated with carrying physical cash.

Chairman Rahman highlighted the immense cost of maintaining a cash-based economy, noting that Bangladesh spends approximately BDT 20,000 crore annually on printing currency—a burden that could be lessened through widespread digitization.

Central to this strategy is the strengthening of the electronic Tax Deducted at Source (e-TDS) system and the integration of banking data with online tax returns.

This integration will allow for the auto-filling of interest income and tax liabilities, closing gaps in revenue collection and ensuring that individuals paying lower rates at the source fulfill their total marginal tax obligations.

Furthermore, the NBR plans to phase out manual challans and obsolete pay orders entirely, replacing them with automated sub-challans for bulk withholding tax payments.

This will allow employers to deposit taxes for thousands of employees through a single digital file upload. For small and medium enterprises, a common software solution will be introduced to link directly with the e-VAT system, simplifying the role of businesses as collecting agents.

By ensuring that government revenue reaches the exchequer in real time rather than being delayed by uncashed cheques, the NBR aims to eliminate fake challans, curb tax evasion, and significantly improve the national tax-to-GDP ratio.

Chairman Rahman concluded that this technology-driven approach is essential for building a transparent and efficient revenue system that benefits both the state and its taxpayers.