The revenue authority is going to take initiative to expedite the full transition to an automated VAT system, which is yet to be done even though one-and-a-half-years have passed since it finished the much talked-about VAT Online Project.

Revenue officials said the project enabled businesses to register for VAT and file returns online but a number of modules such as litigation, refund, audit and arrears of VAT are not fully used by stakeholders.

"As a result, we are not getting complete benefit of the automation," said a top official of the VAT Commissionerate.

Under the circumstance, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) plans to sit with field officials of VAT administration.

Responding to a question at a press conference yesterday, NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem said the revenue collector will sit in a meeting to know how many of the modules developed under the VAT online project are being used, and whether there was any problem regarding their usage.

The areas where the upgradation is still needed will also be identified, he said at the event organised to unveil plans to observe VAT Day on December 10 and VAT Week beginning tomorrow.

The NBR organises the week to raise awareness among taxpayers, motivate them to pay taxes and improve the quality of service of officials.

Muneem said more training of officials, who are implementing the automation venture, is needed.

The government took the VAT Online Project with the finance from the World Bank in 2013 to implement the VAT and Supplementary Duty Act 2012, and end the manual system and more than two-decade-old VAT laws.

The idea was also to reduce the cost of businesses, improve compliance and increase revenue collection in the country, which has the lowest tax-GDP ratio in South Asia.

The project ended in June 30, 2021.

Kazi Mostafizur Rahman, project director of the VAT Online Project, said the modules that went live are functional and training of officials of field level VAT administration will enable them to use them fully.