Providing income tax info of candidate's children, dependents not mandatory: EC
Hours after a demand for clarification from BNP, the Election Commission on Sunday (28 December) said providing the income tax information of an aspirant's spouse, children and dependents in the nomination form would be considered as optional.
The EC issued the clarification in a letter sent to 69 returning officers, including two divisional commissioners, three regional election officers, and 64 district deputy commissioners, ahead of the 13th parliamentary election scheduled for 12 February 2026.
"Regarding income tax information in serial 10 of the affidavit: providing the income tax related information of the spouse, children, and dependents mentioned in columns 2, 3, and 4 of the income tax return section shall be considered optional," the commission said in the letter.
The commission, however, said the statement of the sources of income, assets, and liabilities of fully dependent family members, which are mentioned in the serials 6 and 7 of the affidavit, must be submitted as this requirement is in accordance with the Clause 12(3)(ka)(c) of the Representation of the People Order (RPO), 1972.
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The clarification came after a three-member delegation of the BNP, led by Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, met Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Sunday to raise concerns about the provision.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Nazrul Islam Khan said although the Representation of the People Order (RPO) does not mention children, the nomination form requires aspirants to submit income tax details of their children, which has created widespread confusion.
"There is a question everywhere because many candidates' children are not dependent on them. Many are self-earning, some live abroad, and many pay taxes independently. This has created complexity, which is why we wrote to the Election Commission and also discussed the matter today," he said.
He said the CEC and other commissioners explained that the provision applies only to dependent children and assured that a clear explanation would be provided, clarifying that the term 'children' in this context refers specifically to dependent children.
