Custom House, Chattogram (CHC), the country’s largest customs house which processes around 8,000 pieces of documentation every day, has been facing severe manpower and infrastructure crises for many years.
And the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has decided to take an initiative very soon to address and solve these crises, said NBR Member (VAT Implementation and IT) Moinul Khan while addressing a seminar organised at the CHC on Friday, marking the International Customs Day 2024.
“Customs has a close relationship with VAT and taxes. Income tax and VAT collection will increase if production of goods remains on track,” he said.
Earlier, on Thursday, NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem, at a press briefing on International Customs Day, said, “A system has been developed for streamlining the Custom House, Chattogram. We are working.”
“Efforts are underway for the development of infrastructure to enhance the capacity of the customs house. Concurrently, proposals for increasing manpower have been put forward,” he said.
Syed Musfequr Rahman, commissioner at Customs Excise, and VAT Commissionerate, Chattogram, presented the keynote at Friday’s seminar at CHC, which started with the welcome speech from CHC Commissioner Md Faizur Rahman.
Presenting the keynote, Musfequr said that customs has many responsibilities, including facilitating trade, boosting investment, developing exports, public health protection, prevention of smuggling and national security risks, and development of local industries.
Revenue collection is one of its main responsibilities as 28 per cent of the country's revenue comes from customs. The main focus of customs is now trade facilitation. Customs is also a pioneer in automation in the country, he added.
Addressing the event, Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President AM Mahbub Chowdhury that the country sees 17,000 bills of entry per day and it’s connected to foreign exchange. “Customs is handling these with limited manpower.”
Customs Excise and VAT Training Academy Director General Suresh Chandra Biswas chaired the seminar, which was also attended by Commissioner of Customs Excise and VAT Appeal Commissionerate Md Moazzem Hossain, Tax Commissioner Shahadat Hossain Sikder, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry Director AKM Akther Hossain, Women Chamber Acting President Abida Mostafa, among others.
