Staff Reporter:
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is reassessing its approach to selling luxury vehicles imported duty-free by members of parliament during the previous Awami League administration, following a poorly received auction earlier this year.
At a meeting held on Friday at the Chattogram Custom House, NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan announced plans to avoid disposing of the cars at prices well below their market value.
The February auction of 24 out of 42 vehicles attracted bids ranging from Tk 100,000 to Tk 31 million per car-substantially lower than their estimated market value of Tk 80 to 90 million each.
“We are considering alternative options,” Khan said, noting that some government agencies have proposed purchasing the cars at 60 percent of their actual value. The NBR is also contemplating seeking guidance from higher authorities to determine the most appropriate use for the vehicles.
The luxury cars have remained impounded at customs since the fall of the Awami League government in August 2023, amid a student-led movement.
This is not the first time such challenges have surfaced. A report published on 5 July highlighted ongoing mismanagement of high-value vehicles at the port.
Over the past three decades, 74 vehicles-including luxury cars and trucks-were scrapped, yielding only Tk 4.28 million from 147.68 tonnes of scrap material, a fraction of their estimated value of Tk 700 million.
Khan also addressed wider port management issues, with the NBR taking measures to ease congestion by auctioning abandoned containers.
To enhance efficiency, 100 officers have been assigned to catalogue goods, and public announcements will be made in Chattogram to boost participation in upcoming auctions.
