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National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan has said the cases against revenue officials involved in the recent protests and those who crossed the line will be reviewed separately.
He assured that there is no reason for others to be afraid as long as they carry out their responsibilities properly.
Khan made the remark on Monday while responding to journalists' questions after inspecting Dhaka Customs House activities at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital.
NBR officials had protested since mid-May following the issuance of an ordinance to dissolve the revenue board.
As part of the protests, a "complete shutdown" programme was observed on June 28 and 29, during which the operations of all customs houses across the country were suspended.
In response, the government took a hard stance. Five NBR officials have already been sent on forced retirement, while the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched investigations against at least 16.
In response to a question about action taken against the officials, the NBR chairman said, "Were all five of them involved in the protests? Taking action against everyone would have caused significant damage, which has not happened yet."
He further stated, "The decision made in this regard is a policy decision of the government."
"If our personal or group interests conflict with those of the state, we must prioritise the state's interests. None of us is indispensable, but customs houses are. We must ensure that their operations are not hampered in any way," said Khan.
During the briefing, the NBR chairman also mentioned that an automated payment (a-challan) system has been introduced at the customs houses, enabling import payments to be made at any time through any bank or mobile financial service (MFS) operator.
The payments would go directly to the government treasury, he said.
He also said a new piece of software has been launched to speed up the clearance of goods under baggage rules.
"Expatriates will be allowed to bring up to 10 tolas (approximately 116.6 grams) of gold jewellery per year without taxes. In addition, general passengers can bring one mobile phone per year tax-free, and migrants registered with the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) can bring two," he added.
He further said a software system has been developed to update the status of seized goods at the airport in line with the detention memos.
As of July 7, revenue collected for the fiscal year ending on June 30 stood at Tk 3.68 trillion, and the figure is expected to increase further, he stated.
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