House owners letting out to government agencies and other organisations as well as car owners renting out their vehicles would also need to have a PAN.

The PAN is now mandatory for professionals like engineers, chartered accountants, lawyers and even actors as well as people buying shares worth over NRS 1 million.

At present, there are about 350,000 institutions and people holding the PAN. The drive is aimed at netting at least 250,000 more this year.

There is rampant tax evasion in Nepal and the Maoist government last year began a drive to offer amnesty to tax defaulters if they paid up within a specified period.