The A-challan system, launched to streamline online customs and tax payments directly into the government treasury, has instead introduced new complications for the Chattogram Custom House.
Revenue collected through A-challan is not matching the data in the Customs’ ASYCUDA World software, making it difficult to determine the exact sector-wise breakdown of total revenue.
The A-challan service was introduced at the beginning of the 2025–26 fiscal year by the Finance Division and the National Board of Revenue (NBR). Through this system, importers, exporters, and C&F agents can pay customs duties and taxes online directly to the government treasury.
Under the earlier RTGS-based system, deposits would take several days to reach the treasury. In contrast, the A-challan system enables instant deposit of payments from anywhere and at any time. However, despite this operational improvement, the new process has led to inconsistencies in revenue reporting.
Although monthly revenue collection figures are usually finalized at the end of each month, Chattogram Custom House has been unable to confirm the actual collection for September and October, even weeks after those months ended.
Chattogram Custom House spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner HM Kabir told The Times of Bangladesh: “Importers pay all types of taxes and duties together, but the A-challan system is not properly separating them by category. As a result, we cannot accurately determine how much revenue is being deposited under customs duty- CD, regulatory duty- RD, VAT, AIT, or income tax. We only have draft figures, not final breakdowns. We will report the matter to NBR and seek technical support to resolve it.”
Customs officials further explained that the ASYCUDA World system is designed to segregate paid duties into various components such as CD, RD, VAT, AIT, and IT. But revenue collected through A-challan is not reflecting these breakdowns, causing discrepancies in the revenue accounts.
According to Chattogram Custom House data: Chattogram Cosutom house Revenue collection in July 2025: Tk 6,884.15 crorein August 2025: Tk 6,510.03 crore. However, the final revenue figures for September and October are still pending due to these reporting issues.
Chattogram Custom House handles customs duties on imports via Chattogram Port and Shah Amanat International Airport—the country’s primary gateways for foreign trade. On average: around 2,000 import bills of entry 5,000 export bills. Over Tk 200 crore in revenue are processed daily
In the 2024–25 fiscal year, the Chattogram Custom House collected Tk 77,684.94 crore, up from Tk 68,866.58 crore the previous year.
Customs officials noted that A-challan has already been integrated with ASYCUDA World and the Finance Division’s IBAS++ system. Training sessions for importers, exporters, C&F agents, and customs staff were held on July 1 and 2, and direct payment processing began across scheduled banks, including Sonali Bank, on July 3.
The A-challan system is expected to speed up government revenue collection by enabling taxpayers to pay through internet banking, debit/credit cards, or mobile financial services (MFS), and release imported goods using system-generated receipts.
