United News of Bangladesh

National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan on Monday directed the officials at Dhaka Customs House to quickly dispose goods that have been lying in the Import Cargo Complex for a long time.   He gave the directive while visiting the Customs House and inspected the customs clearance activities of the Import Cargo Complex, Express Service Unit and the Long Room. He interacted with the officers/employees of various customs clearance groups in the Long Room to know about the customs operations and whether they are experiencing any problems. He also directed the IT Department of Customs to resolve issues surrounding their internet server quickly. At the same time, he directed to give top priority to the issue of quick release of goods brought by Biman. At this time, the General Manager of Biman Bangladesh Ltd. said that currently, due to the coordinated activities of Biman and Customs, the goods jam is at a very tolerable level. He stressed on proper scanning of goods for quick release of goods of Express Service Unit and exchanged views with stakeholders at various levels. He asked C&F agents, workers and importers' representatives if they had any problems and suggested solutions. He also exchanged views with officials/employees of Customs House, Dhaka and various stakeholders. In addition, he inaugurated the online tax payment process through A-Challan. NBR officials shaken by government’s recent moves to quell internal unrest Then he inaugurated the Baggage Tax Software for the convenience of expatriates in bringing goods and the DM Software for taking appropriate action on seized goods. He said that Customs Houses are the center of trade facilitation. At the same time, he gave instructions so that there is no inconvenience to businessmen and expatriate passengers are not harassed at the airport. He assured that there is no fear for all the officers/employees who will complete their official activities with honesty, efficiency and diligence. At the same time, he gave instructions to complete the port activities properly without interruption, giving utmost importance to the country and the state. He expressed satisfaction with the overall activities of Customs House, Dhaka.

National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan on Monday said recent protest programmes by the staff under the banner of NBR Reform Unity Council have hampered revenue collection efforts. Speaking to reporters at the NBR headquarters in Agargaon, he urged all staff members to move past the events of the past few days and focus on working in the interest of the state and the country. “Whatever has happened, we need to forget and move forward, working together for the greater interest of the nation,” the NBR chairman said. The remarks came a day after the Reform Unity Council of NBR, which had been demonstrating for several days demanding logical reforms and the resignation of the NBR chairman, called off its protest following stern government warning. From Monday morning, NBR officials and staff returned to their duties. NBR enabling companies to file VAT returns from their own systems Describing the return of activity within NBR offices,  Khan mentioned that customs houses resumed operations by Sunday afternoon, with all departments beginning work again Monday morning. “There is now a sense of relief among stakeholders, particularly within the business community and policymakers,” he said. As of 10 a.m. Monday, the NBR had collected Tk 3,60,922 crore in revenue, he informed. “We expect to receive a substantial amount today. Once government bills are reconciled, the collection is likely to surpass last year’s figure. Even if it doesn’t meet our original expectations, it will likely come close,” he added. The NBR chairman expressed optimism that the momentum in revenue collection would be restored quickly and thanked all officials for returning to their duties.

NBR Chairman Md. Abdur Rahman Khan has called on the tax officials to expedite revenue collection efforts in the final days of the 2024-25 fiscal year, underscoring the critical importance of meeting the government’s financial needs amid a challenging economic environment. He made the call on Thursday while addressing a revenue collection progress review meeting held at the NBR’s headquarters at the city’s Revenue Building. The meeting was convened to assess the performance of the Customs and VAT Divisions up to May and to strategise ways to improve revenue intake during the concluding period of the fiscal year. During the meeting, attended by members of the Customs and VAT Divisions, commissioners and directors general stationed in Dhaka, as well as officials posted outside the capital who joined virtually through Zoom, the NBR Chairman issued clear directives to enhance collections through target-based efforts and special initiatives to recover arrear revenues. “I urge all revenue officials to prioritise achieving their respective targets and to take coordinated action to collect outstanding dues. Every additional taka collected reduces our reliance on debt and contributes to economic stability,” said the chief of the National Board of Revenue (NBR). He further emphasised the need to activate and strengthen intelligence activities to identify and address tax evasion, underreporting, and non-compliance. “Modern revenue administration must be supported by data-driven intelligence. Strengthening surveillance and analysis mechanisms is crucial to minimizing leakages and boosting collection,” he added. The meeting revealed that against a revenue collection target of Tk 3,94,460.45 crore for the July–May period of the ongoing fiscal year, the NBR has managed to collect Tk 3,27,782.26 crore so far. This reflects an achievement rate of 83.10 percent, with a modest year-on-year growth rate of 6 percent during the same period. While appreciating the progress made, the NBR chairman expressed concern over the shortfall and urged field-level officials to intensify efforts in the final weeks of June. He asked commissioners to hold regular consultations with their teams, assess bottlenecks in their jurisdictions, and take action to resolve issues that are hindering collections. Tensions at secretariat as employees continue protests Revenue officials, in turn, briefed the chairman about the measures already undertaken to improve collections in the remaining days of the fiscal year. These include greater on-ground coordination, targeted drives against non-compliant businesses, fast-tracking assessments, and raising public awareness about the importance of tax compliance. According to officials, field offices have been instructed to increase visits to commercial establishments and ensure that VAT returns and customs declarations are accurate and submitted on time. The revised revenue collection target for the NBR during FY 2024-25 stands at Tk 4.63 lakh crore, brought down from the original budgetary target of Tk 4.80 lakh crore. Despite the downward revision, projections indicate that the NBR is likely to fall short of this target as well, largely due to slower-than-expected economic activities and structural inefficiencies within the revenue administration.

National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan on Sunday warned his colleagues of stern action for any continuation of past behaviors reminiscent of the previous government’s approach. “We have conveyed a very clear message, if our officers continue with their previous practices, they will face serious consequences,” he said at the World Customs Day programme held at the NBR Multipurpose Hall. Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed attended the event as the chief guest. Taxpayers can submit income tax return online round the year: NBR chairman The NBR chief said, “We will not tolerate any dilly-dallying or compromising attitudes as seen in the past. Stern action will be taken.” He urged the business community to voice their concerns directly to the NBR to address issues effectively. “We could take strict action, but we don’t receive any complaints,” he said.  

Taxpayers can now submit their income tax return round the year online  but they have to pay extra charge. National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan made the announcement while speaking at the World Customs Day programme held at the Multipurpose Hall of the NBR where Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed was the chief guest. He said online return submission has become popular as some 12 lakh taxpayers have submitted their returns so far this way. Committee on NBR reform submits report advising wholesale changes in tax collection system He hoped that by January 31, the last day of the income tax return submission, it would be around 14 lakhs He said that the tax calculation up to January 31 will different than the submission after January deadline. NBR leadership structure a big barrier to reform: Advisory Committee “Automatically the taxpayers who will submit their returns after January 31 will have to bear some burden,” he said. The NBR Chairman said the rate will be two percent extra over the tax amount for each month. “The maximum ceiling is 24 months and we will not take any interest over 48 percent,” he said.

The National Board of Revenue is supporting growth of local industries to promote economic development and create more jobs, said its chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem on Sunday. He was speaking at a press conference at the NBR Bhaban, to highlight the contribution of the revenue board to the national development. Through policy measures and tax incentives, NBR is encouraging ‘Made in Bangladesh’ along with the expansion of domestic industries and employment, he said. This will be continued even if some particular sectors are getting 10 years tax holiday facility, he said. Also read: NBR dreams to cross revenue Tk3.0 lakh crore in FY 22 Now, the revenue board earns 33 per cent of revenue from income tax, 38 per cent from Value Added Tax (VAT), and 28 per cent from import duty excise duty. “We are planning to extent tax net and VAT collection areas along with monitoring its submission to the treasury,” Muneem said. The NBR is achieveing 7 per cent growth in revenue collection. The country’s GDP size has become Tk4,449,919 crore in FY2022-23, a rise by 556 per cent compared to Tk 797,538 crore in FY2009-10, he said. The NBR Chairman said that NBR achieved satisfactory growth in the revenue collection in FY 22, with collection of Tk3.16 lakh crore. Also read: NBR to install 10,000 EFD to prevent VAT evasion In FY-11 (2010-11) the NBR’s revenue collection was Tk79403 crore which now stands at Tk 3.16 lakh crore. This jump in revenue earning contributed to implementing the annual development program (ADP). At the same time it helped cut dependency on foreign loans, Muneem said. At present, NBR is supporting 85 per cent of the budget from internal resources. Both the ADP size and foreign dependency on ADP implementation came down over the years as the impact of people's contribution to revenue, he said. In FY2010-11 the size of ADP was Tk35,880 crore which now climbed to Tk 217175 crore in FY 2021-22. Similarly, the contribution of revenue increased in ADP implementation and the ratio of foreign loans in the ADP implementation decreased, the NBR chief said. NBR members and senior revenue officials were present at the press conference.

Smuggling of gold has not decreased despite allowing its import legally, NBR Chairman Abu Hena Rahmatul Muneem said on Saturday. The head of National Board of Revenue (NBR) said this while addressing as the chief guest 13th round lottery draw at the conference room of NBR building in the city on Saturday. He said the government has formulated a policy to encourage gold imports in the country through legal channels. Despite that move, smuggling increased which seems very difficult to stop, he pointed out.  He said the government is working to restore stability in the country’s gold market to minimize smuggling. "Gold is used not only to evade revenue but also for illegal transactions. I don't know whether the gold smuggling can be stopped completely. Because gold is smuggled in many ways all over the world, this is the reality,” Muneem said. “Even then we are trying to figure out how to prevent smuggling. Measures will be taken in the next budget to facilitate gold imports,” he added. He said, "There is dissatisfaction with the VAT machine EFD. The price of the product should be determined by including the price of VAT. Consumers are discouraged when it comes to collecting VAT separately.

National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem has said that the government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is empowering the transgender and hijra (hermaphrodite) community through multiple effective ventures as a policy priority of the state. He made the statement at the award-giving ceremony of the ‘Inspiring Transgender and Hijra Volunteer Award 2021’, where he was the chief guest on Wednesday at the Sufia Kamal Auditorium in the National Museum in the capital. At the ceremony, NBR Chairman said that the Prime Minister has encouraged organizations through exempting taxes for the employers, to hire the transgender and hijra workers as a process to empower the Transgender and Hijra community. He also stated that the culture of detachment between the families and the transgender and hijra people can be eliminated through the process of ensuring their empowerment, thus they would be considered as the assets for their parents. Read: Where a vulnerable community found they could live in dignity NBR Chairman also added that he is directly supervising the recruitment of transgender and hijra workers in different organizations and also working with the concerned ministries to raise awareness among the concerned in the educational institutions about transgender and hijra issues, including the name change in their National Identity Card. In celebration of the ‘International Youth Day 2021,’ Bandhu Social Welfare Society (Bandhu) initiated the award to recognize transgender and hijra youth activists for their voluntary works during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Three trans women were awarded at the ceremony including Ashiqul Islam Sajib (Sanjibani), a social worker known for her voluntary work on burying and cremating dead bodies during the pandemic. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Habibur Rahman, BPM (BAR), PPM (BAR), was also present as ‘Guest of Honour’ at the event, alongside prominent model and dancer Sadia Islam Mou. Renowned dance artist and Chairperson of Bandhu Social Welfare Society Anisul Islam Hero chaired the award-giving ceremony. For more than two decades, the Bandhu Social Welfare Society (Bandhu) has been working towards improving the quality of life through providing healthcare services and human rights support for the gender diverse population in Bangladesh. Read: Ashrayan: In Hatikumrul, a transgender community's hopes thrive with permanent address With the help of different donor organizations and individuals, Bandhu has provided relief, financial aid and emergency healthcare support for 13,628 transgenders and hijras in the last year. Through its networking, an additional 10,500 community members have received relief support from different GO and NGO organizations.  

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has devised five strategies to boost its revenue collection offsetting the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The High Court on Monday asked for details of Bangladeshi nationals who have dual citizenship and passports and are also suspected of amassing wealth abroad through money laundering.