National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman and Internal Resources Division (IRD) Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Khan has called for ensuring trade facilitation while strictly enforcing laws to meet the revenue targets for the current fiscal year, reports UNB.
"No importer or exporter should face harassment by unnecessary BIN lock," he said.
Speaking at separate review meetings on revenue collection performance of the Customs, VAT, and Income Tax wings for July of the 2025-26 fiscal year, the NBR chief said the focus should be on smooth operations rather than unnecessary complications for compliant businesses.
According to a press release issued on Friday, the NBR chairman said that the main focus of the NBR should be to ensure trade facilitation and ensure the desired amount of revenue collection through proper implementation of existing laws.
He advised to take appropriate action based on the revenue risk, taking into account the past records maintained in the Asycuda system, instead of locking the bins of importers or exporters out of suspicion.
He said that honest and compliant importers and exporters cannot be harmed in any way by locking bins unnecessarily. Every customs house and intelligence office should give a clear explanation in every monthly revenue meeting about the reason for locking the bins of importers and exporters and the amount of additional tax collected from each activity taken.
"The applicable tax should be collected legally by properly implementing the VAT law."
In this case, he advised the officials to get out of the concept of growth or growth in collection.
"It is not appropriate to put unnecessary additional pressure on those who pay VAT honestly and in accordance with the rules. In the case of VAT collection, those who do not pay VAT at all should be brought into the VAT net and those who evade VAT should be given exemplary punishment as per the law to increase VAT collection."
The meeting was instructed to ensure VAT registration of all those who are required to register for VAT according to the law to increase the scope of VAT.
The NBR chairman instructed the concerned to take immediate action to make it mandatory to perform all bond activities online within the next one month, like the Bangladesh Single Window and online income tax return filing.
He suggested setting a time limit for each service in performing bond activities online and instructed to introduce a system to hold the concerned officer accountable if they fail to provide the desired service within the stipulated time.
If there is evidence of sale of goods brought under the bond facility in the market, the chairman directed to immediately cancel the bond license of the importer concerned.
If there is evidence of the slightest involvement of any officer or employee of the Revenue Department in the misuse of the bond facility, he directed to bring them under the law.
