The advisory council committee on economic affairs at a meeting today is going to review a commerce ministry proposal on settling the issue of cars stuck at the port, which were imported in violation of rules, said officials.
The commerce ministry in its proposal sent to the Cabinet Division in the past week said that the unreleased cars should be given to the transport pool under the public administration ministry or be scrapped for realising the import duty.
Finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed is expected to preside over today’s meeting.
The National Board of Revenue informed the commerce ministry that number of such cars would be 20 to 22 as those were brought in violation of the import policy that prohibits imports of five-year old cars.
Commerce secretary Mahbubur Rahman said that the clearing of the standard cars was more important than the number.
Although the import of five-year old cars is banned, many of those imported cars remain fit as per the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and the Department of Environment. These cars can be auctioned by the customs with prior approval from the commerce ministry.
One of such an auction to clear 44 cars, including 24 luxury vehicles imported by former lawmakers of the ousted Awami League government under a duty-free quota, did not bring an expected outcome.
The Customs House in Chattogram had to postpone the auction. The government agreed in principle to transfer 22 luxury cars to the transport pool while the rest of the cars have remained stuck in the port yard.
National Board of Revenue officials said that if the transfer was approved, the government needed to clear the import duty.
They also said that the government might face litigation from the importers.
They said that making the cars scraps was not viable as those could be sold in the local market and added that imposition of penalty in addition to import duty was more realistic in this regard.
Editor: Nurul Kabir, Published by the Chairman, Editorial Board ASM Shahidullah Khan on behalf of Media New Age Ltd.
+8802-9632245-48
[email protected]
For Advertisement, Cell: +8801849 263831
Email: [email protected]

source