In July, the first month of the current fiscal year 2025–26, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) posted a shortfall of nearly Tk3,000 crore in tax collection. Despite the protests subsiding, revenue collection has not improved as expected. However, the growth rate of revenue earnings for July stood at 24.33% year over year.
On Wednesday, the NBR released updated figures for July’s revenue collection. The report showed that the revenue target for the month was Tk30,111 crore, but the actual collection amounted to Tk27,247 crore, resulting in a shortfall of Tk2,864 crore.
The revenue shortfall in the previous fiscal year was significant, partly due to the NBR protests in May and June. During those months, protest programs disrupted revenue activities, leading to a shortfall in the targeted revenue collection. Even after the protests ended, revenue collection has yet to recover to the expected pace in July.
Several NBR officials admitted that, despite the end of protests, the fear of suspensions and transfers still lingers among officers, causing a lack of focus on revenue collection.
According to NBR data, despite the shortfall in July 2025, revenue collection was higher by over Tk4,000 crore compared to July of the previous fiscal year. In July 2024, revenue collection stood at Tk21,916 crore, a period marked by student and public movements and curfews being in place for a few days.
NBR figures indicate that Value Added Tax (VAT) contributed the highest revenue in July 2025, amounting to Tk11,352 crore. In the same month of the previous fiscal year, Tk8,571 crore was collected from VAT, reflecting a growth rate of 32.45%.
Revenue collection from income tax and travel tax in July stood at Tk6,295 crore, compared to Tk5,175 crore collected in the same period last year. This shows an increase of Tk1,120 crore and a growth rate of 21.65%.
Additionally, customs revenue collection amounted to Tk 9,601 crore in July 2025, while income tax collection stood at Tk6,294 crore. In the previous fiscal year, customs revenue was Tk8,170 crore, marking a growth rate of 17.52%.
In a press release on Wednesday, the NBR stated that to sustain this growth, it would undertake various effective initiatives to strengthen the efforts of its officials and employees involved in revenue collection. The release also emphasized that taxpayers play a vital role in nation-building by ensuring compliance with the law and paying due taxes properly.