The lawyers argued that the new directive would force lawyers to face extra financial burden and increase harassment to the taxpayers.

The revenue income of the government would reduce to a great extent following the newly introduced system, the associations' leaders told National Board of Revenue (NBR). The taxpayers would be discouraged from paying tax under the system, they said.

The NBR recently cancelled the treasury chalan system for depositing income tax returns in the face of allegations of depositing fake chalan. Instead, income tax returns have to be submitted through bank drafts, account payee cheques or pay orders by the taxpayers, according to new system.

The new decision of the NBR was triggered by the directive from the Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman, sources said. The NBR informed the Bangladesh Bank (BB) in the second week of the current month about the new instruction and asked the central bank not to accept any tax return through the treasury chalan.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Tax Lawyers Association, Dhaka Lawyers Association, Sylhet and Rangpur Lawyers Associations in separate statements to the NBR demanded withdrawal of the new system of tax return.

They said the taxpayers will face harassment by the new directives as they have to make bank drafts or pay orders first, which have to be deposited to the tax circle concerned and finally will have to wait for a longer period to receive the receipt from the tax offices.

As the tax circle will issue chalan against the taxpayers, only after releasing the bank draft or pay order from either BB or Sonali bank, the taxpayers would be discouraged to pay their tax returns in such a troublesome system, the associations said.

Many taxpayers have no bank account, which is also a problem to be emerged from the new arrangement, they added.

The taxpayers have to pay fees to the banks for getting bank drafts or pay orders, which will be an extra financial burden for them, the leaders argued.