The sharp rise in the dollar exchange rate is the main factor behind the increase in the prices of fruits and other import-dependent products, says National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan.
"The dollar rate has risen by nearly 40 per cent. Fruit prices have not increased due to duties or taxes. The government has not raised import duties," he told a press conference at the NBR Bhaban in the capital's Agargaon on Sunday.
The conference was arranged to mark International Customs Day 2026, which will be observed today.
To observe the day, the NBR will organise a seminar today.
Discussions are also scheduled to be held at various customs houses and customs stations across the country.
The NBR chairman said the dollar exchange rate, which stood at Tk 80-85 two years ago, had now increased to around Tk 126-127.
"As a result, the cost of importing any product has naturally increased."
Responding to a query on why fruit imports faced high duties despite not being prohibited items, he said no new duties had been imposed on fruits over the past one and a half years.
"Rather, the advance income tax at the import stage was reduced from 10 per cent to 5 per cent. Similarly, duties on date imports have also been lowered," he added.
According to NBR sources, various taxes and duties currently imposed on imported fruits exceed 120 per cent.
As a result, a fruit imported at Tk 100 costs around Tk 220 after adding duties and taxes.
Five types of taxes are applicable to fruit imports - customs duty, supplementary duty, VAT, advance income tax, and regulatory duty.
Under the current tax structure, the imports of apple, orange, malta, grape, and pear attract a combined duty and tax burden of 121.78 per cent.
This includes 25 per cent customs duty, 30 per cent supplementary duty, 15 per cent VAT, 5 per cent advance income tax, and 20 per cent regulatory duty.
The imports of pomegranate are subject to a higher duty burden of 126.78 per cent, with the same duty components.
In FY22, the overall duty rate on these fruits was 89.32 per cent.
Claiming that duties on several products had been reduced in the public interest, the NBR chairman said no tariffs had been increased over the past one and a half years to boost revenue.
"On the contrary, duties on rice, onion, potato, and soybean imports have been reduced to benefit consumers," he said.
He also said Bangladesh would not be able to maintain high tariff rates after graduating from the least developed country (LDC) status.
"Keeping that reality in mind, tariffs are being gradually reduced. Duties are increased only in limited cases to protect certain domestic industries," he added.
Globally, tariffs were no longer a major source of revenue, Khan noted.
"Preventing illegal imports and curbing money laundering through false declarations are now the main responsibilities of the customs department. In FY25, tariffs contributed to 27 per cent of the total revenue," he said.
He also said regular drives were being conducted at airports to stop the inflow of foreign cigarettes, while under- and over-invoicing would be strictly curbed.
Khan further said 90 per cent of the imported goods were cleared within a single day.
"In some cases, goods are subject to inspection. Even when intelligence information exists, consignments may be held. In certain instances, narcotics are brought in under the guise of textile imports," he added.
On revenue collection, he said although the revenue target remained challenging, the overall growth was not weak.
"Revenue collection has increased after making online returns mandatory. So far, around 4.7 million taxpayers have registered online, and about 3.45 million have submitted returns," he said.
He added that direct revenue collection through online returns had reached around Tk 4.3 billion, compared to Tk 1.7 billion last year.
"At the final stage, 100,000 to 150,000 returns may be submitted daily. If necessary, an extension of the deadline will be considered."
About implementing the decision to split the NBR into two entities, Khan said work was underway to separate management and policy-making functions.
"Committee meetings, gazette notifications, and the finalisation of the organisational structure will take place soon. Although challenging, progress will be made before the elections," he added.
The World Customs Organisation has designated January 26 as International Customs Day, which Bangladesh observes as a member state.
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