NBR registers 1.31 lakh new VAT payers in December
To broaden VAT coverage, the government has amended the existing VAT law, making VAT registration mandatory for businesses with an annual turnover exceeding Tk50 lakh, instead of the previous threshold of Tk3 crore.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has registered some 131,000 new Value Added Tax (VAT) entities across the country in December as part of a special nationwide VAT registration campaign.
The NBR observed VAT Day on 10 December and VAT Week from 10 to 15 December 2025, with the theme "Register on Time, Pay VAT Correctly." In line with the theme, the revenue authority set a target to identify and bring 100,000 unregistered businesses under VAT registration between December 10 and December 31, 2025.
Through continuous campaigns and field surveys conducted every day, including holidays, the country's 12 VAT commissionerates exceeded the target and successfully registered 131,000 previously unregistered businesses during December 2025.
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Before the interim government assumed office, the total number of VAT-registered entities in the country stood at 516,000. With the new registrations, the figure has now increased to 775,000, the NBR said, said an NBR press release.
The release said VAT remains the largest contributor to government revenue among customs duty, VAT and income tax. About 38% of total revenue was collected from VAT in the previous fiscal year, indicating strong potential for further revenue growth through expansion of the VAT base.
To broaden VAT coverage, the government has amended the existing VAT law, making VAT registration mandatory for businesses with an annual turnover exceeding Tk50 lakh, instead of the previous threshold of Tk3 crore.
The NBR has also taken several steps to simplify VAT compliance, including easy online VAT registration, online submission of collected VAT to the government treasury, electronic filing of VAT returns through the eVAT system, and automated refund of excess VAT directly to taxpayers' bank accounts. In addition, initiatives have been taken to introduce simplified VAT return formats for small businesses.
The NBR called for continued cooperation from consumers, traders, industrialists and the media to successfully implement an efficient, online-based VAT system aimed at building a self-reliant and prosperous Bangladesh.
