The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been grappling with delays in automating its bonded warehouse system, a long-anticipated reform aimed at boosting efficiency, curbing misuse, and enhancing revenue collection.
Despite taking several initiatives and setting multiple deadlines over the years, NBR's progress toward full automation remains sluggish and incomplete.
"We are still struggling with the bond automation, we are yet to implement this fully," NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan told in a recent pre-budget meeting.
In February 2022, then NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem announced plans to fully automate the bonded warehouse facility by 2023.
The objective was to prevent the abuse of the system, which had been a longstanding issue affecting revenue generation and industry competitiveness.
To achieve goal, the NBR initiated the National Single Window project in 2017, aiming to integrate 39 agencies involved in customs-related activities into a unified electronic system.
This system was designed to streamline procedures, reduce paperwork, and expedite trade operations.
Initially slated for completion by 2019, the project faced significant delays, with authorities aiming for a 2023 completion.
These setbacks raised concerns among stakeholders about the efficacy and timeliness of such automation efforts.
One notable challenge in the automation drive has been resistance from stakeholders accustomed to manual processes.
For instance, in December 2021, the NBR mandated the use of specific software for diplomatic bonded warehouses dealing with liquor imports to monitor and prevent illegal market activities.
This move led to a strike by six private diplomatic bonded warehouses, resulting in a liquor shortage in the market.
The warehouses resisted the software implementation, citing operational challenges, which highlighted the difficulties in transitioning from entrenched manual systems to automated ones. �"UNB
