Economic Reporter :
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has requested the port authorities to collect their fees and charges through e-payment system so that the importers and exporters can enjoy the facility.
The Customs Modernization and Project Management wing of the NBR made the call in a letter sent to the port authorities on Sunday.
In the letter, NBR requested the authorities of Chattogram, Mongla and other land ports to take initiative to collect their charges and fees through using e-payment system.
Following suggestions by the stakeholders concerned, the NBR also requested the Bangladesh Bank (BB) to keep the RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) system open for additional two hours from July 1, 2021 or before that in a bid to facilitate the taxpayers to pay the duties and taxes online.
Currently, the RTGS system remains open for six hours, from 10 am to 4:00 pm on the working days.
In other countries, the RTGS remains open for a longer period of time to facilitate the importers and exporters. In India, the RTGS remains open for seven hours, five days a week, and also for seven hours on two Saturdays every month.
It remains open for eight hours and nine hours respectively five days a week in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
In case of settlement of refund, the NBR requested extension of RTGS operation time by two and half hours, officials said.
The NBR is going to launch the e-payment system from July 1, 2021 at all customs houses in case of payment of duty above Tk 0.2 million.
From January 1 next year, all the traders must have to pay all duties and taxes irrespective of amounts through online.
The NBR has already conducted a pilot programme of mandatory e-payment at the Inland Container Depot at Kamalapur from April 1 last.
Sonali Bank will also ensure uninterrupted e-payment facility through their application programming interface (API), in case of closure of RTGS, to facilitate the exporters and importers to pay their duties and taxes online for 24 hours.
Following this, the NBR has sent separate letters to the BB and Sonali Bank to take necessary measures for ensuring the e-payment facility.
As per decisions of the meeting, the customs will scrap the requirement of submitting manual payment receipt, signed by customs officials, at the time of releasing products from ports after launching the e-payment system.
Customs officials said they would request all commercial banks to allow the e-payment of duty-taxes for batch of bill of entry and bill of export instead of single ones.
The NBR officials said the BB and Sonali Bank would also take measures to provide refund in real time basis through the RTGS system instead of Bangladesh Electronic Funds Transfer Network if the payment fails in case.
Khondaker Muhammad Aminur Rahman, customs member of audit, modernisation and international trade, said the NBR has requested the BB to bring all scheduled banks under the RTGS system and implement the e-payment facilities to facilitate the importers and exporters to pay duties and taxes online through using their respective bank accounts.
He said the NBR would integrate the Business Identification Number (BIN) or VAT registration number with the e-payment system to thwart VAT evasion by the traders.
Traders will receive e-payment notifications in their more than one mobile number and also in their e-mail addresses.
The existing pre-payment system of duties and charges for export, bond facility, express courier and de-minimise consignments would be expanded at all customs houses and stations under the Asycuda World system.
