Benapole port sees slump in revenue earning

Revenue income at Benapole land port has largely declined in the first four months of the current fiscal year (2012-13) due to various reasons, including alleged corruption and irregularities.
Customs authorities of the port realised Tk 672.16 crore revenue during the period, which is Tk 172.94 crore less than the target set for the time.
Sources alleged that corruption and irregularities took a grievous form in the biggest land port of the country from the beginning of the current fiscal year.
A new strong syndicate, managing customs and port officials and ansar members with bribe, continue to evade huge taxes against the imported goods, they said.
Besides, due to high tariff, many importers now opt for using Hili land port and Sonamasjid land port for their business, a trader said.
Benapole customs house joint commissioner Md Akbar Hossain, however, said that import through the land port decreased due to strict monitoring for checking tax evasion.
He said revenue income from the land port was Tk 2312.47 crore against the target of Tk 2425 crore in the 2011-12 fiscal year.
The target of revenue earning of the 2012-13 fiscal year is unlikely to be achieved, as assumed from the four months' income, sources said.