Punish bond misusers, not genuine exporters: Exporters urge NBR
Online bond services to become mandatory from December
Exporters in Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) sector have urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to punish those who misuse duty-free bond facilities, instead of harassing genuine traders for minor mistakes.
They made the call at the 'Meet the Business' event organised by the NBR at the Revenue Building in Agargaon today (16 November), where business leaders directly discussed their concerns with officials.
Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said, "Those who misuse the bond facility never face problems. Their consignments are cleared quickly because they manage everything beforehand. But real exporters face unnecessary harassment."
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He added, "Give visible punishment to at least one misuser. Because of them, genuine traders are being troubled. We also want to know who is misusing the bond facility."
Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), warned, "We are concerned that tomorrow we may see news claiming widespread misuse of bonds. Don't make the entire business community responsible for a few misusers. Identify the culprits clearly."
The "Meet the Business" initiative was launched to allow NBR officials to hear directly from traders across sectors and find solutions to their problems. During the meeting, NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan answered questions from exporters and outlined steps to address issues immediately.
Business leaders welcomed the NBR's initiatives but noted that field-level problems persist.
Mohammad Hatem cited a recent incident at Custom House, Chattogram where an exporter was cheated by a buyer after shipment, and it took four months to get customs approval to clear goods from Singapore, leading to a Tk48 lakh port demurrage.
He also highlighted a case where a minor violation of Free of Cost (FOC) raw material rules led to severe penalties, raising concerns about potential factory closures and workers losing jobs.
On the future of bond services, NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan announced that all bond-related activities will be mandatory online from the first week of December, ending manual processing.
He stressed that compliant traders should not be blamed and confirmed that the NBR has begun identifying those misusing the bond facilities, promising transparency in the coming days.
