The National Board of Revenue (NBR) dug out the fact last fiscal year when it discovered that out of 50,000 registered importers, 23,000 used fake addresses to dodge tax and VAT.

Commodities worth about Tk 60,000 crore was imported the last fiscal year, bringing in Tk 7,083 crore in import duty and Tk 4,397 crore in import VAT.

The fake importers only pay import duty.

Sources said the NBR is taking a number of steps to stop such fraudulent activities.

It has sent a list of 10,000 fake import companies to all the ports so that they can be caught whenever shipping in goods.

The scam was unearthed when the NBR served notices on the importers reminding them to pay vat and duty. But many importers did not respond to the notice. The NBR then began an investigation and found that about 23,000 of them used fake addresses.

The NBR will now issue notices on the importers asking them to renew their VAT registration every year. At the time of renewal, they will have to clear their dues and file their VAT payment documents, failing which their imported goods will be seized and bank accounts and properties seized.

The NBR has sought help of the Bangladesh Bank to detect the fraud importers. The central bank will notify all banks about the fake importers so that they can locate the culprits.

The NBR also sought help of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI), which is yet to respond.