Dhaka: National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan announced on Sunday that the authority is focusing on trade facilitation, quicker cargo clearance, and increased transparency through a comprehensive set of customs reforms.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Khan addressed a meet-the-press programme ahead of International Customs Day, where he detailed the reforms aimed at simplifying procedures for compliant taxpayers while taking stringent measures against misdeclaration, under-invoicing, and other revenue leakages. A significant reform involves bringing discipline to customs valuation by basing assessments mainly on invoice value. A risk-based physical examination system is also nearing completion, which will allow the Risk Management Commission to identify high-risk consignments for verification, while low-risk goods will not require physical inspection.
The NBR is also emphasizing post-clearance audits to expedite the release of goods from ports. Khan acknowledged that testing requirements involving multiple government agencies often cause delays and stated that steps are being taken to streamline this process. Laboratory samples will be collected seven days a week, and importers will be allowed to use both government and recognized domestic or foreign laboratories for testing. Compliant taxpayers will enjoy faster clearance, and Authorised Economic Operators (AEOs) will receive additional facilities, including green channel clearance and post-clearance audits.
On Monday, the NBR will issue licenses to three more AEOs, either as new entrants or through upgraded compliance levels. Khan also highlighted efforts to enhance pre-arrival customs processing, noting that although the system exists, it is underutilized. The NBR is investigating why declarations are often submitted post-arrival despite the opportunity to file them earlier. Efforts are also underway to integrate the ASYCUDA system with port automation platforms to accelerate cargo clearance.
The National Single Window system has issued approximately 900,000 certificates, licenses, and permits, with over 80 percent processed within an hour of submission. Customs bond automation has been fully implemented since January, reducing paperwork and congestion at bond commissionerates, with bond-related activities now completed remotely. The NBR is collaborating with Bangladesh Bank to integrate commercial invoice data with customs and foreign exchange systems to mitigate valuation disputes and improve monitoring of under- and over-invoicing. International market price catalogues are being procured for more accurate import price assessments and irregularity detection.
On revenue trends, Khan mentioned that Bangladesh is gradually reducing its reliance on import duties, with income tax and VAT contributing an increasing share of total revenue. Strengthening income tax and VAT collection is vital for redistribution and sustainable development. He emphasized that customs administration is crucial not only for revenue collection but also for preventing money laundering and protecting the country from harmful imports.
In response to inquiries, Khan stated that import data is not confidential and will be published on the NBR website after filtering to protect taxpayer identities. He also noted that VAT refunds have commenced under the automated system, with efforts underway to introduce a fully automated income tax refund mechanism to minimize direct contact between tax officials and taxpayers. On tariff policy, duties on essential commodities like fruits, dates, edible oil, onions, and rice have been reduced, prioritizing public interest over revenue concerns.