Bond Automation: Board Backs Bold Ban on Manual Processes
The interim government has decided to fully automate the country’s customs bond operations, eliminating all manual procedures from 1 December. Abdur Rahman Khan, Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), stated, “We have decided to make the use of the Customs Bond Management System (CBMS) mandatory for issuing Utilization Permission (UP). We have reached an agreement with business communities regarding the compulsory use of CBMS. We will issue a circular; from now on, no work will be done on paper. We will make it 100% automated. We will do it as quickly as possible. We will try to make it mandatory from 1 December.”
He further added, “If any problems arise, we may allow a maximum of one week. CBMS will be made mandatory. Before that, revenue officers (ROs) and assistant revenue officers (AROs) will be given proper training.”
The remarks were made on 16 November, Sunday, at the NBR headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, during a “Meet the Press” session following a stakeholder meeting on bond automation. The meeting was attended by leaders from BGMEA and BKMEA, along with representatives from various garment-related business organizations.
Chairman Khan issued a stern warning regarding officer accountability, stating, “A one-week training will be provided, followed by an evaluation. Those who fail will be considered incompetent and may be dismissed from their posts. No exceptions will be made.”
He also noted ongoing efforts to pilot an alternative system called Asycoder, explaining, “We are trying to implement Asycoder as an alternative system. If it proves viable, we may not use the current system. However, decisions will be made based on practical realities.”
According to the NBR Chairman, automating bond procedures will significantly reduce difficulties. “Once all information is stored in a database, misuse of bonds and various irregularities can be prevented,” he said.
However, business leaders have urged that locally produced goods should not receive bond benefits on imports. They emphasized that auditing of shipments and documentation should be simplified to prevent harassment. Mohammad Hatem, President of BKMEA, remarked, “Even after paying full taxes, exemptions given by the source tax are unreasonable.” Echoing him, Mahmud Hasan Khan, President of BGMEA, said, “When you (the revenue board) provide any benefits, it should go through Parliament. Any promised incentives for investment must not be withdrawn before investments begin.”
DBTech/JT/IK/OR
