Customs chase ghost companies in export

Customs has determined 'scope of 'work' for stakeholders as per Export General Manifest (EGM) of late to eliminate 'ghost' exporters and check money laundering, following recent discoveries of deviations.
The government has implemented EGM in all customs houses through Asycuda System aiming to ease export process, check siphoning, and reduce time of export processing and ensuring dependable export data.
The wing under the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has set the SfW for seaborne cargos, land-port and air cargos, which comes into effect on October 15, 2023.
It has issued the order to all relevant stakeholders, including all export associations, customs houses across the country, Bangladesh Bank (BB), Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), Port Authorities, Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), the Ministry of Commerce, Export Promotion Bureau, Biman Bangladesh Airlines and so.
The area of work or guidelines would be applicable to clearing and forwarding (C&F), shipping agents, freight forwarders, off-dock or private inland container depots, customs officials, and airlines.
As per the recent order, signed by Rakibul Hassan, first secretary (customs automation), businesses involved in export of goods have to submit bill of lading (BL) in the Asycuda after completion of export.
In case of non-compliance, the customs officials would detect the exporters, shipping agents, airlines, freight forwarders, and C&F agents and take legal action as per the Customs Act 1969.
Recent occurrences of plundering export incentives showing fake exports have prompted the NBR to issue the order, says Masud Sadiq, Customs Member of the NBR.
"We will halt export process of a company in case of non-compliance with the order on EGM. If it is not possible, we would report to the Bangladesh Bank (BB) to stop disbursement of export incentives," he adds.
Customs usually facilitates export by expediting the process, but a vested quarter adopts tricks to cash in on the advantages by taking cash incentives against ''fake exports''.
As per the order, customs authority would consider transport documents such as BL, airway bill, truck receipt presented in the Asycuda World system in EGM as final evidences of export.
Shipping agents would have to register for EGM using their respective password and ID within 24 hours of the berthing of ships.
Both freight-forwarders and shipping agents also have to complete BL-submission process of EGM against export within 72 hours of the ship leaving the port.
Customs officials will have to close EGM in the Asycuda World system within 72 hours of ships departing from ports after shipment of export goods.
For air cargos, airlines would have to complete BL-submission process in EGM against export within 48 hours while manifest wing of land customs station or house have to complete it within 24 hours.
EGM consists of list of goods, name of exporters and importers, volumes, nature that a company wants to export via land, air or sea routes.

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