The latest plan by the National Board of Revenue to introduce an automated system that links tax return submissions with banks is a welcome and long-overdue step towards modernizing our financial governance.

The NBR chairman announced at a press event on Tuesday that, under this new system, taxpayers will no longer have to manually chase multiple bank branches for certificates or information, and can instead have their essential details -- like bank balances, interest earned, and tax deductions -- appear automatically with just their TIN and NID.

This is a momentous move, as the current process is not only tedious but also a source of discouragement for many from submitting returns at all. For ordinary citizens, the hassle often feels overwhelming, while the lack of system-wide verification has allowed inconsistencies and under-reporting in the numbers to become common practices.

Once the system is automated, therefore, it has the potential to make tax filing easier for taxpayers, while ensuring a level of transparency that has been missing in the process for far too long.

Additionally, this reform could play an important role in broadening our tax base -- something that Bangladesh is urgently in need of. By reducing opportunities for tax evasion and ensuring accurate reporting, the system can allow the government to collect revenue, thus enabling more essential public services and long-term development to be made available to the citizens.

Even so, an automated system so unfamiliar to a public habituated with manual efforts will need to be carefully established as one that is reliable and convenient in order to earn public trust. The authorities must, therefore, ensure that the system rollout is done seamlessly and that taxpayers’ information is protected.

This modernization of our tax administration should not just be about efficiency; it must aim to create a fairer, more accountable system that works for everyone.