TDS Desk:

The government has launched an online system for paying import and export duties in the new fiscal year.

The new facility allows customs duties to be paid directly into the government treasury through Automated Challan (A-Challan), the National Board of Revenue said in a statement.

Previously, taxpayers could pay duties via the Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system only during specific hours of the day, and it would take several days for the funds to be deposited into the treasury.

With the new system, importers and exporters can now pay duties instantly from any location at any time, using the A-Challan, which will also help expedite the release of goods.

The NBR said that the A-Challan system has been integrated with the import-export management software ASYCUDA World. This will enable importers and exporters to pay duties directly into the government treasury through both online and offline banking methods.

To facilitate the rollout, the NBR conducted training on Jul 1–2 for officials of the Chattogram Customs House, importers, exporters, and C&F agents.

Following the training, the new system went live on Jul 3, allowing duty payments through Sonali Bank Customs House and all other scheduled banks.

On the first day, duty payments totaling around Tk 1.3 billion were deposited into the treasury against 75 bill entries.

The NBR added that the A-Challan system allows users to pay via internet banking, using debit or credit cards, or mobile financial services such as Rocket, bKash, Nagad, Upay, mCash, and TrustPay. The service is also available over the counter at any bank, via account debit or cheque clearing.

Once the duty is paid through A-Challan, the system automatically generates a receipt with a unique number, which can then be used for releasing goods from ports.

The NBR noted that the system was first piloted on Apr 23 at the ICD Kamalapur Customs House, and later at Pangaon Customs House. Chattogram Customs House is the third station to begin collecting duties under this system as of Thursday.

The system will be rolled out to all customs houses across the country starting Jul 7, according to the NBR.