MINIMIZING national interests to maximize friendship, the Shipping Ministry is at odds with the National Board of Revenue (NBR) over realizing charges on transshipment cargoes through river routes under the Bangladesh-India Shipping Protocol. The apex revenue authority NBR has recently asked the ministry for realizing an additional charge of Tk 310 per tonne basis for security scanning leading to the tussle between the government bodies. In every step, citizens must be loyal to the nation and to protect its national interest as the national interest should be paramount, but the acts and deeds of certain governmental agencies seem contrary to the spirit.
As per the report of The New Nation on Tuesday, NBR asked for charges of Tk 130 for per tonne cargo or goods, Tk 300 for scanning and Tk 10 for providing automation service while in last November a secretariat level meeting fixed the amount at Tk 130 per tonne. Mentioning the Prime Minister’s office approval, the ministry said the bid is nothing but non-cooperation by the NBR, but the NBR said nothing is wrong as the agreed minutes did not tag the condition of levying the scanning and automation fees at the time of Customs clearance.
The NBR high-ups said that the move is not to creating roadblocks to transshipment but rather a push to an ethical charge on cargo movement under the protocol. The additional charge should be put in place to ensure a viable and effective transshipment operation under the protocol. In 2011, the government formed a core committee headed by then Chairman of Tariff Commission who proposed to impose 15 types of duties for transit. The committee suggested paying Tk 580 per tonne to the National Board of Revenue but the government overlooked the recommendations. Not acting on one’s own self- interest to respect friends is not a maxim in international relations or ordinary human society, but the Ministry wants to do just that.
New Delhi will get more benefit from the transshipment and for that Dhaka has to build infrastructures like roads, land-ports, and separate customs service and to appoint sufficient manpower. To facilitate transshipments to India, Bangladesh will have to invest more but the investment amounts would never be earned due to the low rates on such transshipment goods. For loading and offloading in river ports, the government must erect infrastructures and increase the capacity of the ports. Transshipment is an economic activity that should be considered according to profit-loss and in line with national interests. If political consideration triumphs over economic issues, the country will lose and the national interest would be severely compromised.
