NBR moves to implement uniform customs procedure in all LC stations

Al Amin :
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is going to instruct all the Land Customs (LC) stations of the country to follow uniform customs procedure with a view to expediting export-import trades, officials sources said.

Implementing the unified customs procedures, the revenue board is
likely to issue an office order today (Tuesday), they added.

They said that the NBR took the decision to prevent duty evasion and to create a pro-business and hassle-free environment in the country’s land ports.

Besides, many businesses alleged that they were incurring financial losses as the authorities of the stations don’t follow uniform customs rules, they said.

As per the office order, the land ports must cancel all irrelevant and unnecessary customs procedures ensure all modules related to ASYCUDA World and will take necessary steps for infrastructural development in line with the connecting ASYCUDA World system, the officials said.

Earlier, the NBR formed a committee headed by Commissioner Shamsul Islam to conduct a survey and after carrying out the survey, the committee said that unified customs procedure is not being followed in the land stations, which is hampering cross-border trades.

The NBR’s development partner Asian Development Bank (ABD) also suggested implementing uniform customs rules with a view to preventing duty evasion as the officials of the stations, in some cases, fix different values.

It also found that the NBR officials use different methods in releasing goods from the stations. As a result, the businesses are incurring financial losses and they choose favorable stations for importing goods to avoid losses.

Under the circumstances, the revenue board has initiated to implement uniform customs rules to facilitate the cross-border traders, the NBR officials said.

As per the directive, all the authority of the LC stations will have to follow uniform customs procedure includes implementation of hundred per cent ASYCUDA system, introduction of Number Plate Reader (NPR) system, use of uniform Harmonized System (HS) Code and releasing goods by completing all customs modules from the stations.