Al Amin :
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is going to bring the diplomatic warehouse under automation in order to ensure accountability and transparency of the duty-free liquor trade.
It will also add some food items with the diplomatic bonded warehouse with a view to facilitating the importers, who sell goods to the diplomats and foreigners stationed in Bangladesh, the NBR officials said.
The revenue board has already developed software in this regard involving the Foreign Ministry, although there is a concern of leak out information of the diplomats, which likely to be left the foreigners insecure.
“Software has already been installed but yet to be gone into trial. We are just collecting information of the foreigners at the moment,” an NBR official told The New Nation, whishing his anonymity. “The existing irregularities will be prevented, if the automation procedure becomes functional successfully,” he added.
Taking the duty-free facility, the traders import foreign liquor worth around $55000 to $60,000 every year officially and sell it in the local markets, the NBR officials said.
There are allegations that they sell products without passbooks issued by the Customs Bond Commissionerate (for privileged persons) and tax exemption certificates provided by the Foreign Ministry (for diplomats).
The country’s illegal liquor business is booming with supplies from two sources-leakage from some diplomatic bonded warehouses and smuggling, they added.
The government agencies tried to ensure accountability and transparency of the duty-free liquor trade but they found themselves in a legal limbo.
The traders, who import duty-free liquor for diplomats and foreigners, filed writ after writ with the High Court challenging the legality of the government action.
As a result, the whole sector is now embroiled in a prolonged legal battle.
Currently, it is mandatory for the warehouses to sell liquor only against valid passbooks to ensure that they are being sold to diplomats or privileged persons.
The NBR also instructed the bond officers to fill out specific details about the liquors being sold. But, all the measures have failed to bring accountability and transparency in the sector.
Diplomatic bonded warehouses import duty-free liquor, cigarettes and other food items for diplomats who can buy those at a nominal price under the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations.
Each diplomat has a Tax Exemption Certificate that entitles them a certain quantity of duty-free goods as per ranks.
Foreign nationals working with international organisations are also entitled to duty-free liquor from diplomatic bonded warehouses.
The six warehouses are Dacca Warehouse Ltd, Sabir Traders Ltd (STL), National Warehouse, TOS Bond (pvt) Ltd, Eastern Diplomatic Services and H Kabir and Co Ltd, Parjatan Corporation and Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
