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'Express lane facility' in the offing 'Low-risk' importers to get quick customs clearance

REJAUL KARIM BYRON
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is going to introduce "express lane facility' (ELF) for big and 'low-risk' traders to accelerate clearance of goods imported by them.
The World Bank has prescribed the computerised system of quick customs clearance with a view to modernising the revenue administration of Bangladesh.
"The ELF will be underway on a pilot basis as soon as the computerisation in the NBR is completed," said a high official of the NBR when asked about the facility.
But he said the businessmen will have to computerise their own institutions and send their documents online for easier processing and clearance of their goods.
The ELF was proposed by the World Bank in a report titled 'Bangladesh Modernisation of Revenue Administration: Key Elements of Modernisation Strategy and Options for World Bank Support'
that was submitted to the government in the first week of January.
For introducing the facility, the NBR is identifying the 'high-risk' and 'low-risk' importers. Once the ELF is introduced, the customs will be able to put greater focus on the 'high-risk' consignments and better utilise its resources.
The 'high-risk' traders will still be subject to full fiscal scrutiny, including extensive documentary and physical examination.
To deal with the two categories of traders, the NBR may have to create a separate monitoring unit -- Major Traders Audit Unit or Compliance Audit Unit, officials said.
Otherwise, the monitoring will be brought under the supervision of the Large Taxpayers' Unit to maintain overall compliance control, auditing company accounts and examining targeted consignments to make sure the trader complies.
In case of irregularities, the traders will lose their privileges of
'low-risk' traders.
Other than the ELF, the WB has made ten recommendations. They include discontinuation of amendments to tariff rates within the calendar year, identifying opportunities to further simplify the tariff code, completing closure of bond warehouses and introducing more comprehensive audits of bonded warehouses.
Meanwhile, NBR has assigned three of its members -- Sheikh Hafizul Kabir, Zahir Mohammad and Ali Ahmed -- to identify feasible prescriptions given by the Revenue Reforms Commission (RRC) for next financial year's budget.
The RRC submitted its report with some 500 recommendations to the government in the middle of January.
"The assigned members are to identify which recommendations are achievable for the coming budget and which are more feasible in future budgets," an NBR high official said.