Biman seeks increased annual import availability

Staff Reporter :

The authorities of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd have requested the National Board of Revenue (NBR) for increasing annual import availability to import goods under bonded warehouse facility.
The state-owned institution made the call in a letter sent to the revenue board last week as the
Biman authority is failing to meet up the growing demand with the lower capacity.
In the letter, it said that there was no need to take the import availability earlier. But recently the officials of Dhaka Customs House wanted to see it during receiving a customs clearance from them.
Avoiding the unwanted situation, Biman Bangladesh wrote to the NBR seeking import availability worth $3 lakh but it approved only $42,187.50.
The Biman authorities have also failed to import cigarettes different times as the minimum package value of the goods is $30,000.
Besides, the number of international passengers and the prices of cigarettes and other commodities have soared in the international markets, the letter said.
Considering the situation, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Authority is requesting the NBR for increasing the annual import availability to minimum $2.5 lakh in the current fiscal year, the letter said.
Biman Bangladesh has been importing 12 goods including cigarettes to sell in its international flights since last one decade. It is also allowed to import, preserve, sell and re-export of unsold goods with the permission of the Commerce Ministry.