The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has brought more than 131,000 previously unregistered businesses under the Value Added Tax (VAT) net across the country in December.
According to an NBR press release, the revenue authority observed VAT Day on 10 December and VAT Week from 10 to 15 December, 2025, carrying the slogan “Register on Time, Pay VAT Correctly.”
As part of the initiative, the NBR set a goal to identify and register at least 100,000 unregistered VAT-eligible businesses from 10 to 31 December.
The campaign, implemented through continuous awareness programmes and field-level surveys – including on weekly holidays – was carried out by the country’s 12 VAT commissionerates.
By the end of December, the drive exceeded expectations, registering 31,000 more entities than the original target.
Before the interim government took office, the total number of VAT-registered entities nationwide was around 516,000. Following the latest registrations, that figure has risen sharply to 775,000, the release said.
The NBR noted that VAT continues to be the single largest source of government revenue compared to customs duty and income tax. In the last fiscal year, VAT accounted for nearly 38 percent of total revenue collection, highlighting significant scope for boosting state earnings by expanding the VAT base.
As part of broader reforms, the government has amended the VAT law, lowering the mandatory registration threshold. Businesses with an annual turnover exceeding Tk 50 lakh are now required to register for VAT, replacing the earlier threshold of Tk 3 crore.
To ease compliance, the NBR has introduced a series of digital and taxpayer-friendly measures. These include simplified online VAT registration, electronic submission of VAT payments to the treasury, e-filing of returns through the eVAT system, and automatic refunds of excess VAT directly to taxpayers’ bank accounts.
Steps are also underway to roll out simplified VAT return formats for small and medium enterprises.
The revenue authority urged continued cooperation from consumers, traders, industrialists and the media to ensure effective implementation of a transparent, technology-driven VAT system, which it said is essential for building a self-reliant and prosperous Bangladesh.
