Cases of bringing alcohol in containers under the guise of cloth or apparel are being detected, said National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan.
He also said that if such irregularities are not stopped, there will be a major loss in revenue collection and it will become difficult to maintain discipline in business and commerce.
He said these at the pre-budget discussion for FY27 with the Bangladesh Hotel Restaurant & Bar Owners' Association (BHRBOA) at the Revenue Building in Agargaon in the capital on Wednesday (April 1).
The NBR Chairman said that irregularities are being detected in large containers at airports and seaports. Although importers often declare the import of cloth or apparel on paper, when the container is opened, it is found to contain alcohol.
This indicates that even though there is no information about the import of alcohol in government documents, it is being used in the market.
He said: "We have no import in our records, but there is consumption in the market. Again, even though the paper says cloth, you can find the whole alcohol when you open the container. The country cannot run like this. Everyone has to be responsible to stop this irregularity."
The NBR chairman also mentioned that the tax rate for alcohol production and serving establishments is comparatively low. He said that since alcohol is among the health and socially harmful products, the issue of increasing the tax rate in this sector is being considered.
On the other hand, in the meeting, former president of Bangladesh International Hotel Association Khaled Ur Rahman said that their organization has 54 members and these establishments have three to five star hotels. These hotels conduct business in accordance with 100% rules and the supervision of the VAT authorities is the highest here.
"All our activities are open. We always work like an open book."
In the meeting, hotel and bar owners proposed rationalizing the duty on the import of liquor and beer. At the same time, the NBR chairman also mentioned increasing the corporate tax rate in sectors like telecom sector and cigarettes.