The customs authority has put in place a set of indicators to help detect abuse of duty-free facilities under the bonded warehouse scheme.
While setting the indicators, the authority has taken into consideration a few risk factors that it has identified lately.
The customs also has prepared lists of export-oriented companies that have a strong propensity for duty evasion, officials said.
The names of 23 export-oriented companies, operating outside the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and under the special bond circle, and 11 companies under the general bond circle have been sent to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) recently.
Categorising those as the 'risky industry', the Dhaka Customs Bond Commissionerate sent a comprehensive report for taking preventive measures on the basis of the detailed database.
Customs commissioner Kazi Mustafizur Rahman sent the report to the Member (customs bond, export and IT) on February 3, 2022.
Of the products that are imported duty-free under the special bond facility by 100 per cent export-oriented industries, the customs authorities allegedly found at least seven in the local market.
The customs bond office got evidence in support of the allegation during investigations.
The products included a mixture of viscose fabrics, polyester fabrics, georgette fabrics, shirting and suiting fabrics, short/long pile fabrics, curtain fabrics or above count mixed yarn.
Risky items imported under the duty-free facility by general bond or deemed exporters are: LDPE, LLDPE, BOPE, HDPE, art card, poly bag, carton, duplex board, virgin grade liner paper, PVC film, sheet, Glauber's salt.
Customs has detected some irregularities and found that those products are often sold in the open market, according to the report.
The customs has included a total of nine what it describes as indicators in the use of the bonded warehouse facility by export-oriented industries.
The indicators are: not having approval for audit, allegation and case for tax evasion, existing tendency to evade tax, tendency to blocking revenue collection filing cases etc.
Asked, first vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Syed Nazrul Islam told the FE that the association is against the abuse of the duty-free facility and said the government should take legal action against the culprits.
He, however, alleged that the industries cannot violate the law without the support of customs officials concerned.
Transparency and accountability should be ensured on both sides to bring discipline in the bonded warehouse system, he added.
In the report, names of the potential abuser of the facility under general bond circle included BSP Plastic (BD) Pvt Ltd (direct and deemed), Permess South East Asia Ltd, International Trimmings and Labels (BD) Pvt Ltd, Zaber and Zubair Accessories Ltd, Bangladesh Master Pack Ltd, Web Coats Ltd, Ranka Denim Textile Mills Ltd, Mantaka Printing and Packaging Ltd, Ideal Polymer Export Ltd, Tory Enterprise (Pvt) Ltd, Nahid Plastic (BD) Limited, Aliza Fashion Ltd, Astro Stitch Art Ltd, Azim & Son (Pvt) Ltd, Bottoms Gallery (Pvt) Ltd, Alluring Fashions Ltd, Basunia Textiles Ltd, Hassan Tanvir Fashion Wears ltd, Rupa Knitwear (PVT) ltd, SRKH Design Limited.
Industries under special bond circle included LEEU Fashion Ltd, Blue Planet Fashion Wear Ltd, Blue Planet Knitwear Ltd, Ratool Apparels Ltd, SAMYTEX Industries Ltd, Maa Stitch, Attraction Garments Ltd, Corona Fashion Ltd, Posh Garments Ltd, Imperial Sweater (BD) Limited, Green World Fashions Limited, AM Fashion, ATS Apparels Limited, Alif Casual Wear Ltd.
Marking the industries as risky, the customs bond office gave detailed data on pending demands, audits, cases and other tax related disputes.
Currently, around 50 per cent of the licenced bonded exporters are inoperative - either closed or suspended their operation. Some 3,126 are active out of 6,326 bond licence holders.
Of them, some 1,049 are deemed exporters, 1,777 are direct exporters, 78 are supervised bonded industry, 15 home consumption bond, some 94 A-category industry in EPZ, 41 B-category industries in EPZ, 42 C-category, 7 diplomatic bond, one hi-tech park, 14 duty-free shop and eight licences are obtained by BEZA industries.
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