Land revenue collection period to be synced with fiscal calendar: Land minister

The period of collecting land development tax will be set from July-June, in sync with the fiscal year, Land Minister Narayon Chandra Chanda said today (8 June)

“This new system will strengthen the land revenue collection system of the country and bring dynamism to revenue collection,” he said this while inaugurating Land Service Week 2024 as the chief guest at the BIAM Foundation Auditorium in the capital.

The land minister said that in the past, the period of land development tax was from 1st Baishakh to 30th Chaitra, i.e. synced with the Bengali calendar starting on 14 April each year.

“We think that the current change in the tax collection period will make the land development tax collection process more balanced, transparent and effective,” he stated.

Land Secretary Md Khalilur Rahman presided over the meeting. Chairman of Land Appeal Board AKM Shamimul Haque Siddique, Chairman of Land Reform Board Md Abdus Sabur Mondal, Director General of Land Record and Survey Department Anis Mahmud, Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Md Sabirul Islam and Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Anisur Rahman were present as special guests.

The land minister said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set a specific goal to build a smart Bangladesh. Under its overall guidance, the Ministry of Land is moving forward with the smart action plan of land management to ensure the best use of land and land-related people-friendly services in the country.

He said various initiatives of the land ministry, including digitization of land services, are playing an important role directly and indirectly in ensuring women’s rights, increasing food security, protecting the environment and combating the effects of climate change.

In addition, these initiatives have played a pioneering role in raising awareness about the land-related rights of the citizens of the country. If people can ensure their land rights, they will become confident and aware. This will help improve their quality of life.

The Land Minister also stated that a plan has been adopted to establish smart land services by 2041.

There will be no plot (Dag) sharing in any records (Khatiyan), there will be no land-related lawsuits or litigations, boundary disputes will be almost zero, citizens will not need to visit the land office unless absolutely necessary, and all land information of a citizen will be accessible with their National ID (NID).

Moreover, upon purchasing land, a ‘Certificate of Land Ownership’ (CLO) will be immediately available. In areas where a digital survey has been completed once, there will be no need for future surveys.

Among others, public employees of the Ministry of Land and its offices/agencies, representatives of civil society and media personalities were present at the inauguration ceremony.

The Land Service Week 2024 will continue till 14 June.