Customs House, Chattogram (CHC) has collected Tk 12,353.95 crore in revenue during the first two months of the fiscal year 2024-25, as part of the government’s target to generate Tk 1,24,800 crore in revenue from imports across the country. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has allocated a significant portion of this target—Tk 83,432 crore—to CHC, the largest customs station in the country.
CHC authorities, however, noted that the revenue collection could have been higher had the country not faced ongoing instability in recent months.
According to CHC sources, the revenue collected during the fiscal year 2023-24 stood at Tk 68,866 crore, marking the highest in the history of the customs office. Revenue earnings of this magnitude have never occurred in any previous fiscal year.
In the previous fiscal year of 2022-23, the CHC had collected Tk 61,350.44 crore, which was also a record at the time compared to any prior year.
NBR sets high target for CHC
Officials from Customs House, Chattogram said that, following the success of the previous fiscal year, the NBR has set a high revenue target for the CHC this year once again. For the current FY25, a revenue target of Tk 1,24,800 crore has been set through the country's 17 customs stations, of which CHC is expected to contribute nearly 60 per cent.
Among the other customs stations, Custom House, Benapole is expected to collect Tk 6,705 crore, Customs House Dhaka Tk 7,827 crore, Customs House ICD, Dhaka Tk 5,756 crore, Mongla Customs House Tk 6,409 crore, Custom House, Pangaon Tk 1,491 crore, Customs Bond Commissionerate, Dhaka (South) Tk 7,410 crore, Customs Bond Commissionerate, Chattogram Tk 1,296 crore, Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Rajshahi Tk 1,214 crore, Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Rangpur Tk 1,104 crore and Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Khulna Tk 1,353 crore. The remaining customs houses will generate nominal revenue.
CHC exceeds July target
CHC officials further reported that the revenue target for the first month of the current FY25 was Tk 5,148 crore and the CHC collected Tk 6,311.84 crore in July. This represents a 22.61 per cent increase over the target for July. However, in July of the FY24, the CHC collected Tk 5,472.77 crore. Comparing July's revenue in the FY24 with that of the FY25 shows a growth of 15.33 per cent.
Moreover, CHC collected Tk 6,042.11 crore in August, falling short of the Tk 6,478 crore target by 6.74 per cent. This means that there was no growth in August. However, despite missing the target, the revenue grew by 5.79 per cent compared to August 2023, when the customs house collected Tk 5,711.68 crore.
However, an analysis of the revenue collection for the first two months of the current FY25 shows a growth of 10.46 per cent, which is satisfactory. The total revenue target for July and August was Tk 11,627 crore and the CHC collected Tk 12,353.95 crore, which is 6.25 per cent more than the target. This also represents a growth of 10.46 per cent compared to the same period in the FY24.
‘CHC revenue steady despite challenges’
Commenting on the revenue performance, CHC Commissioner Mohammad Fyzur Rahman told The Business Post, “Our revenue collection so far has been satisfactory. Despite the ongoing situation in the country, we have managed to maintain steady revenue collection. However, if the internet had not been disrupted and the pace of imports and exports had not slowed, our revenue would have been even higher.”
Fyzur Rahman further noted that while the CHC achieved a record revenue in the last fiscal year, the revenue growth could have been 23 per cent higher if Tk 1,500 crore in outstanding payments from another state entity had been cleared.
