Govt loses huge revenue at Burimari land port

The government is losing a huge amount of revenue every month at Burimari land port, the largest one in the north, due to frequent duty-dodging allegedly in collusion with some corrupt customs officials.
The government can get revenue up to Tk 12 crore to Tk 15 crore per month if false declaration is checked at the port, which now earns only Tk 2 crore revenue on an average, a customs inspector at the port told this correspondent requesting not to be named.
False declaration is being used by the importers to get clearance of more than one consignment against letter of credit (L/C) and bill of entry for one consignment. One type of goods is being imported against declaration for another.
The technique of declaring duty-free or less-duty items is also being applied while importing higher duty goods. Even, they declare that the goods are coming from Bhutan, although those are actually from India.
Two trucks of Shathi Enterprise, an export-import company in Patgram upazila town, were seized by custom officials on April 1 while importing motor parts against declaration of rejected iron, evading tax up to Tk 46 lakh.
Customs officials seized four trucks (two trucks of Nayon Enterprise in Bogra on April 6 and other two trucks of Faruque Enterprise in Patgram upazila town in the district on April 7) while importing Indian jute seeds against declaration of grass seeds, dodging tax up to Tk 12 lakh.
The government loses Tk 2.5 lakh to Tk 6 lakh revenue per truck if goods are imported from India giving declaration of Bhutan, as the Bhutanese goods are imported with full duty waiver, the customs officials said.
The importers evade tax of Tk 2 lakh to Tk 8 lakh per truck through false declaration of weight, they added.
The traders also take delivery of the imported goods through 'spot release' without completing due formalities of the port.
Although the authorities in 2007 suspended licences of 62 clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents on charges of irregularities and corrupt practices at the port, the situation did not change.
The C&F agents often operate with more than one or fake licences, and so even if their licences are scrapped, they do not face much problem, said the customs officials.
The importers have to pay a minimum of Tk 3,000 as 'speed money' to some customs officials against each consignment imported on false document and the speed money ranges between Tk 5,000 and Tk 10,000, said an importer, asking not to be named.
Abdul Hamid Khan, an importer, said: “Some importers with the help of corrupt customs officials are engaged in such ill practices causing sufferings to the honest importers.”
Assistant Commissioner (AC) of Customs at Burimari Land Port Abul Kalam Azad denied the allegation of their involvement in the corrupt practices and said they detected four such cases in the last one month.
“We have officially deployed one inspector each at the four check posts at the land port, and sought help from the law enforcing agencies to curb the ill practices,” he added.