Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu on Wednesday urged people to pay income tax so that the country can achieve the middle income status by 2021.
The minister came up with the remark after inaugurating a week long Income Tax Fair organized by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) at the Officers Club in the capital.
NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman, NBR members, tax commissioners, officials of the NBR and income tax lawyers attended the programme.
The NBR organized this fair for the six consecutive years. Sahera Katun, 57, a nurse of a private clinic, came from Duhar to submit her return form at the fair, explained her experience saying, "Tax officials here help us to solve any kind of problems and guide us to fill up our return form correctly. But the scene is completely different in the circle offices. So, I like to submit my return form in the fair every year."
 "At first I could not understand where and how to fill up the return form and then to submit it. I went to a help desk but couldn't get satisfactory advice from the responsible tax official", said Mohammad Selim, 50, an SME, who came from Uttara to submit return form for the first time.
When asked about Selim's claim the tax official said, "We were instructed only to help filling return form not filling it up by ourselves. Because, a taxpayer needs to learn how to fill up a return form so that in future they can fill their forms themselves?.
"I have been paying tax since 2005. As the fair was introduced in 2010, I have been visiting the fair every year as tax officials provide hassle free services at the fair", said Somon Patuary, a middle aged taxpayer.
While talking to some other tax payers they said they are receiving smooth and quick service at the fair. They demanded more hassle-free atmosphere to draw attention of the people to pay the exchequer.
 Income tax earnings will be growing up day by day in the wake of bringing simplicity in the tax realization system together with building cordial relation between the tax officials and taxpayers, they claimed.
NBR officials said the fair will remain open from 10 am to 5 pm everyday till September 22.
On the first day of the fair the NBR has bagged more than Tk 153 crore across the country while a total of 57, 047 people obtained services from the fair, 2,705 people registered themselves with e-TIN and 827 people re-registered. Some 14,998 tax returns were submitted.