The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has instructed the Chattogram Customs House to hand over 31 duty-free luxury vehicles. They were previously imported for members of the now-dissolved 12th Jatiya Sangsad, to the Directorate of Government Transport under the Ministry of Public Administration.

A special order in this regard was issued on Wednesday (November 12).

Officials confirmed that a special order was issued by the NBR directing customs authorities to hand over the unclaimed vehicles for official government use in the public interest.

Earlier, the Chattogram Customs House had sought clarification from the NBR on whether the duty-free import privilege remained valid for parliament members of the dissolved legislature.

In response, the NBR issued a circular on 8 December 2024, clarifying that the duty-free import benefit would no longer apply. However, importers could still claim the vehicles by paying standard customs duties and taxes.

According to NBR data, the total amount of payable duties and taxes for the 31 vehicles stands at Tk 269,61,89,600. The highest duty and tax on a single car is Tk 9,44,83,300, while the lowest amounts to Tk 8,62,67,400.

As the importers failed to clear the vehicles by paying the required dues, Chattogram Customs House placed them for auction following legal procedures. However, the auction failed as no bidders offered reasonable prices for the high-end vehicles.

Following an inter-ministerial decision, it was resolved that the luxury cars- considered of significant value- would be utilised for government purposes instead of being sold off.

The NBR also mentioned that if any of the original importers later decide to release their vehicles, they may do so by paying all applicable duties and taxes. In such cases, the Chattogram Customs House will facilitate the clearance process under existing customs laws and valuation rules.

The Directorate of Government Transport will then return the respective vehicles to customs authorities for lawful clearance upon payment completion.