Razzaque asks customs officials to work sincerely to prevent money laundering

Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque Wednesday asked the customs officials to work sincerely to prevent money laundering. “Huge amount of money goes abroad from Bangladesh through over-invoicing and under-invoicing. The issue is constantly being discussed and criticized. Here you (customs) can play an important role. Digitisation will play an important role here. If the system is digital, the chances of tax evasion are reduced. We need to increase our efficiency and reduce the chances of cheating,” he said.

The minister said this while speaking as the chief guest at a seminar organized by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) at InterContinental Hotel in the city on the occasion of the ‘Internaltion Customs Day’.

Today, Bangladesh is observing International Customs Day as a member country of the World Customs Organisation with the theme of "Scaling  up Customs Digital Transformation by Embracing a Data Culture and Building a Data Ecosystem". Among others, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Md Jashim Uddin spoke on the occasion.

NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem presided over the seminar. In his speech, Razzaque said NBR has a big role to play so that no businessman can launder money aboard.  Digitisation has taken place in many areas of customs, but scopes are still there for more digitisation, he added. He said he would like to change the negative mindset of the general people towards customs. Once customs was considered only as a tool for revenue generation, but it is now playing a big role in the development of the local industry, he added.

Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said the negative perception of the general public about the customs department and bureaucracy is being dispelled. He called upon the tax authorities to work diligently for the economic development of the people of the country and further facilitation of trade and commerce. Md Jashim Uddin said the sectors that have the potential to attract new investments should be more active to find out new investors.