The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to avoid harassing compliant businesses while stepping up monitoring of withholding tax deduction and deposit.

The chamber said the initiative, if implemented properly, would enhance revenue collection and widen the country's tax net, but cautioned that businesses already compliant with tax rules should not face unnecessary harassment during the exercise.

Businesses yet to achieve full compliance should be given adequate time and a fair opportunity to do so, the DCCI said in a statement today.

Achieving both the revenue collection target and maintaining a business-friendly environment simultaneously is possible, DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed said, calling for constructive dialogue between the NBR and the business community.

The effective adoption of automation and digitalisation across the revenue administration is essential to widen the tax net and meet collection targets, he added.

Such measures would significantly reduce the compliance burden on the private sector while making the tax system more efficient, transparent, and business-friendly, he said.

The NBR has strengthened nationwide monitoring and verification of tax deducted at source (TDS), deploying special teams from tax zones under its directive.

Section 147 empowers officials to inspect business premises, examine account books, bank statements, and digital records, and access computer systems, including by breaking passwords or encryption where necessary.

Officials may also temporarily seize documents or devices.