The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has decided to make the use of the ‘Customs Bond Management System (CBMS)’ mandatory in the Raw Material Use Permit (UP) issuance process to make bond management more modern, transparent and technology-based.

 

The NBR said that through the automated software CBMS, which was launched from January 1, 2025, online services are being provided to bonded warehouse license holders in three Customs Bond Commissionerates with the help of 24 modules. However, even though the UP module is in place, most of the institutions are still accepting UP manually.

Since the use of the software is not mandatory, it has not reached the desired level even after 10 months. Based on the feedback from users, the necessary improvements and modifications have been made to the CBMS to make it more user-friendly, the NBR said.

In a discussion titled 'Meet the Business' organized by NBR yesterday (November 16), representatives of the top organizations of the garments, knitwear, accessories, textiles and leather goods sector - Bangladesh Readymade Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Bangladesh Garment Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BJAPMEA), Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) and Bangladesh Leathergoods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (LFMEAB) agreed to make CBMS mandatory for services related to BDWC issues.

In the discussion, the proposal to receive and provide all UP services through CBMS from December 1 was unanimously accepted. NBR will issue a formal directive in this regard soon.

According to the NBR, if CBMS is made mandatory, transparency, speed and accountability will be ensured in the service delivery process, bonded institutions will get services easily and at a low cost, input-output accounting of raw materials will be automated, the complexity of manual document submission will be eliminated and bond-related disputes will be reduced.

The NBR said that bringing bonded warehousing management under automation will create an investment-friendly environment and strengthen the country's economy. The initiative to bring all revenue management activities to full automation step by step will continue.