DRC has been most comfortably silent on the issue

The deadline for income tax filing ends today but many citizens have not been able to file their personal income tax  (PIT) due to the Department of Revenue and Customs’ repeated system breakdowns.

Although the Department informed the public that the system has been restored, users continue to face issues. Login and further procedures work only intermittently.

Tshewang Choden, who visited the office in Thimphu to file her income tax,   said that the department must solve the issue as soon as possible as travelling to the tax office is cumbersome for many people.

She added that there should be a reliable system as people these days rely heavily on online services. “I have been trying to file my PIT since a week ago. I followed all the instructions given by the Department on social media but still could not log in to the system.”

The Department provided an alternative link for the taxpayers to directly access the Revenue Administration and Management System. However, the system has largely remained dead.

Since the Department’s online system was inaccessible to the users, taxpayers are expecting the Department to extend the deadline by a few more weeks.

The Department, however, did not answer to the question of whether it would extend the filing deadline.

A civil servant from Chukha said that he could not file his PIT due to repeated system errors. “And I cannot go to the head office to file my tax.”

He added that the department should consider extending the deadline, as it is an issue facing many honest taxpayers in the country.