Customs stations remain open today and tomorrow

The National Board of Revenue will keep all customs stations open today and tomorrow, the weekly holidays, to serve exporters and importers.

The decision came yesterday to tackle the lag in export and import activities caused by a technical glitch in Asycuda World, the latest automated software system for customs data, since January 18.

"The NBR has taken the decision to help businesses recover their losses," according to a notice signed by Sadhan Kumar Kundu, second secretary (customs policy) at the NBR.

The revenue authority has also requested Bangladesh Bank to keep bank branches, which are related to customs, open on the two days as well. BB has already asked banks to do so.

The tax regulator has also requested ports and land customs authorities and other services providers to stay open.

The NBR has been using the software, developed by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, since July 2013 at the customs house of Chittagong port, which handles 92 percent of the country's overseas trade. The revenue authority has already installed the software at all customs houses and major land customs stations to offer web-based and paperless services to traders and other stakeholders.

The software allows officials to verify the value of declared goods and curb duty evasion and money laundering through false declaration of imported goods.