Andrew Kishore gets tax payment letter five years after his death

Bangla film legend Andrew Kishore has received an income tax payment notice even five years after his death. The notice, signed by Assistant Tax Commissioner of Tax Region-12 Kazi Rehman Sajid, states that Andrew Kishore still has a tax arrears of Tk 72,803.

The letter states that he has a tax arrears of Tk 22,423 in the 2005-06 fiscal year and Tk 50,380 in the 2012-13 fiscal year. The total tax arrears for these two fiscal years total Tk 72,803.

Assistant Tax Commissioner of Tax Region-12 Kazi Rehman Sajid confirmed this and said, “This is our regular work. If a deceased taxpayer owes tax, the responsibility falls on his family. This notice has been sent to collect the arrears.”

According to the rules of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), if there is income from the assets of a deceased taxpayer, an heir is first nominated as a representative. The concerned Deputy Tax Commissioner will inform him through a notice. Later, that representative will file an income tax return on behalf of the deceased taxpayer every year and pay the due tax. However, if there is no taxable income from the assets or business in the name of the deceased person, there is no need to file a return. Until the assets are divided and distributed in the names of the heirs, the nominated representative will be responsible for paying the tax. If for any reason the tax is not paid, or the conditions prescribed in the Income Tax Ordinance are violated, then legal action can be taken against the nominated heir.

It is worth noting that on July 6, 2020, the immortal legend of Bengali music Andrew Kishore died after battling cancer. The issue has come into fresh discussion as tax collection notices are sent in his name even five years after his death.