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Tax Chief: Collect taxes like bee taking honey from a flower
As the Government set about collecting revenue from direct taxes, Inland Revenue Commissioner General Kalyani Dahanayake has asked the tax department and state banks to be kept open during the weekend and staff to be courteous to all taxpayers.
Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank head offices are to remain open today to accommodate last minute tax returns to beat the November 30 deadline.
The orders came against the backdrop of several complaints by taxpayers and accountancy firms that some Inland Revenue Department (IRD) employees were refusing to provide additional forms and refusing to accept forms without rubber stamps.
The Tax Chief said tax return forms could be obtained at the IRD head office or IRD branches countrywide and it was not compulsory to have a seal on the form when accepting tax return forms.
She said she had received complaints regarding the refusal by some minor employees to issue forms to taxpayers.
Ms. Dahanayake said she had directed officials to assist taxpayers and collect taxes “like a bee taking honey from a flower without harming it”.
The revenue target of the IRD has been increased to Rs. 602 billion for next year from Rs. 516 billion this year.
Sri Lanka is set to introduce an online system soon with the aim of increasing revenue collection and making it easy for taxpayers to file their tax returns and pay taxes.
The automated system will enable taxpayers to make their payments online from their homes, she said.