The National Revenue Board (NBR) fell short of its revenue collection target by Tk41,879 crore during the first three months (July–September) of the current FY27.
Against a collection target of Tk134,396 crore for this quarter, the agency managed to collect only Tk92,517 crore.
Despite the shortfall, revenue collection grew by 1.86% compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year, when collection stood at Tk90,825 crore, according to NBR sources.
The largest shortfall occurred in the Value Added Tax (VAT) sector.
Against a target of Tk49,405 crore, collection reached Tk29,348 crore, leaving a deficit of Tk20,057 crore.
For income tax and travel tax, collection reached Tk33,040 crore against a target of Tk42,726 crore, resulting in a deficit of Tk9,686 crore.
In customs duties (import & export) and against a target of Tk42,265 crore, collection stood at Tk30,129 crore, generating a shortfall of Tk12,136 crore.
NBR officials partially attributed the slow pace of revenue collection to recent changes in VAT return submission rules.
Businesses were previously permitted to submit VAT returns on a quarterly basis rather than monthly.
Consequently, many institutions did not submit returns in July and August, causing a dip in VAT collection in September.
Amid growing revenue concerns and operational challenges, the NBR reinstated the monthly VAT return filing system at the beginning of October.
For the full FY27, the government has set an overall revenue collection target of Tk695,000 crore, with the NBR tasked to collect Tk604,000 crore of the total amount.