Bangladesh Customs posts record revenue growth, urges investor-friendly reforms
BD Customs ranks 2nd in Asia-Pacific after seizing 144,000 counterfeit items
Bangladesh Customs has achieved unprecedented growth over the past two decades, with revenue collections rising nearly 13-fold from Tk 23,651 crore in FY 2002-03 to Tk 3,70,875 crore in FY 2024-25, according to a presentation at yesterday's International Customs Day 2026 in Chattogram.
Customs alone contributed Tk 1,19,800 crore, accounting for 27% of total revenue, while processing more than 17,000 Bills of Entry daily. NBR now expects to collect Tk 5,00,300 crore in FY 2025-26, with customs responsible for Tk 1,30,780 crore, contributing to nearly 89% of the country's total revenue.
Md. Moazzem Hossain, Member (Customs and VAT Administration) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), said the gains underscore the need to maintain public trust and create an investor-friendly environment. "Institutions that fail to uphold confidence risk their own survival," he said, stressing that officials must be more responsible and patriotic to meet global standards.
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Highlighting Bangladesh's international achievements, Moazzem Hossain noted that under WCO Operation Action IPR Asia Pacific III, the country seized 144,000 counterfeit items across 45 enforcement cases, ranking second in the Asia-Pacific region after Japan.
He added, "Investors come here as partners in development, not as subjects. We must ensure they never feel discouraged, and the environment should meet international standards."
Chattogram Customs House Commissioner Abul Basar Md. Shafiqul Rahman emphasized that trade facilitation is now a core principle. "Our focus has shifted from revenue collection alone to simplifying trade. Delays in goods clearance cost the country money. Our officers' salaries come from taxpayers' money, so it is our moral responsibility to provide timely, high-quality service," he said.
The event was attended by senior officials, including Chattogram Zone-1 Commissioner Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Customs, Excise and VAT Commissioner Sheikh Abu Faisal Md. Murad, Chattogram Customs Bond Commissioner Md. Mahfuzul Haque Bhuiyan, Cox's Bazar Commissioner Md. Fazlul Haque, and Chattogram Women Chamber of Commerce and Industries President Abida Sultana.
