Bangladesh unveils 2026 Best Taxpayer Award honouring 72 top taxpayers

The Internal Resources Division of the Ministry of Finance has introduced the Best Taxpayer Award Policy, 2026, a national scheme that will honour 72 top taxpayers — 33 individuals and 39 companies — in every fiscal year. The policy was issued on 7 September 2026 and published in the Bangladesh Gazette of 1 October 2026 under official reference 08.00.0000.000.048.22.0002.26.88. It replaces the National Tax Card Policy, 2010 (as amended) and the district-based highest and long-term income taxpayer award policy of 2008.

The notification, issued by Branch-2 (Tax) of the Internal Resources Division, is signed by Masudur Rahman, Senior Assistant Secretary, on the orders of the President. Its stated aim is to give special recognition to taxpayers, encourage citizens to pay tax, and reward both the highest and the longest-standing income taxpayers at national and district level. Selection rests on the net income tax actually paid for the preceding tax year, after return and audit adjustments.

Who will be honoured

• Individuals: 33 awards, split between a special category of 24 and a professional category of 9.
• Special category (24): 15 highest individual taxpayers, 2 senior citizens (one male, one female), 1 gazetted war-wounded freedom fighter, 1 person with disability and 5 women.
• Professional category (9): one each from salaried employees, doctors, journalists, lawyers, engineers, architects, chartered accountants or cost and management accountants, teachers and artists.
• Companies: 39 awards — 15 for the highest company taxpayers and 24 for business-based categories.
• Business categories (24): banking, non-bank financial institutions, life insurance, non-life insurance, health services, ready-made garments, engineering, export engineering, agriculture, food and allied products, tea, jute, spinning and textiles, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, print media, electronic media, real estate, jute goods, education, tourism, tea industry, transport, ceramics, and two under “others”.

Eligibility and disqualification

• A taxpayer must have been a regular taxpayer for at least the two tax years preceding the relevant year.
• No taxpayer may receive an award in more than one category.
• Selection is based on net tax paid, excluding tax deducted or collected at source under the first and second parts of the First Schedule of the Income Tax Act, 2023.
• Taxpayers with unpaid arrears, failure to file returns, failure to submit the Statement of International Transaction, pending tax or duty fraud allegations, ongoing audits, or cases under section 22 of the Act are excluded.
• Persons or entities under money-laundering proceedings, loan defaulters, or those facing sanctions by the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, stock exchanges, or the Competition Commission and the Directorate of Firms are also barred.
• A deceased taxpayer may receive the award posthumously.

Timeline and committees

• 1–30 July: tax zones publish the preliminary list of eligible taxpayers on the National Board of Revenue website.
• 1 August–30 September: the Primary Screening Committee verifies the list and forwards it to the Screening Committee.
• 1 October–7 November: the Screening Committee submits its screened list to the Final Selection Committee.
• 8–25 November: the Final Selection Committee makes the final selection.
• 26–30 November: instructions are sent to the Local Government Division and the ministries of cultural affairs, health, civil aviation and tourism, foreign affairs, shipping, youth and sports, and public administration.
• Three bodies run the process: a seven-member Primary Screening Committee, an eleven-member Screening Committee and an eight-member Final Selection Committee chaired by the Secretary of the Internal Resources Division.

Benefits for awardees

• Invitations to national events organised by district administrations, city corporations and upazila administrations, and to cultural programmes.
• Priority in booking circuit houses and all residential hotels, including hotel bills.
• Priority for government hospital cabins for the awardee’s spouse, dependent children and the awardee.
• Business-class air tickets, lounge access and immigration VIP facilities.
• Priority in buying tickets for national and international fairs and exhibitions.
• Priority service at the BRTA and passport offices.
• The award card remains valid for 12 months from publication of the winner’s name in the gazette; benefits lapse after that period.

The scheme gives the National Board of Revenue a single, published rulebook for rewarding compliance, replacing two older frameworks and fixing firm deadlines, committee structures and disqualification grounds. For ordinary taxpayers it sets a clear benchmark: two years of clean filing, no arrears and no pending disputes are the price of a place on the national list.

Source: The Bangladesh Gazette, No. 40 of 1 October 2026, Section I, pp. 843–849 (official reference: 08.00.0000.000.048.22.0002.26.88).