Finance adviser urges NBR to reconsider duty structure

Finance and Commerce Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed yesterday asked the National Board of Revenue (NBR) officials to reconsider the duty structure of imported essential commodities in a bid to tackle persistent inflation.

The adviser said essential commodities, namely edible oil, sugar, potato and fertiliser, are very important for all consumers, according to an official of the NBR.

He asked them to consider the issue during a courtesy meeting with NBR officials at the tax administration's headquarters in Agargaon.

NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan was among those present at the meeting.

Ahmed sought the measure ‍at a time when the public is under severe pressure from persistent inflation, especially food inflation, which crossed 14 percent for the first time in 13 years in July.

At the same time, overall inflation stood at 11.66 percent, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Ahmed also asked NBR officials to take steps to expedite the unloading process at the port.

"There should not be any barriers from the government's side. If any barriers remain, they should be removed soon," Ahmed said during a press briefing after the meeting.

It should no longer be the case that the NBR will harass those who usually pay taxes while ignoring those who do not pay taxes properly, he added.

The NBR chairman added that the tax administration would give their utmost effort to meet the revenue collection target for the current fiscal year.

The NBR has set a revenue collection target of Tk 4.80 lakh crore for FY25, a 17 percent increase compared to the prior year's target.

However, their efforts have already been marred by turmoil at the beginning of the fiscal year due to the students' protest against the quota system for government jobs since July.

"We will remain wary so that we can avoid tax leakage," Khan added.

Salehuddin added that they would adopt a holistic approach to reform the NBR.