31 unsold luxury cars handed over to the Ministry of Public Administration

Staff Reporter | PNN

Thirty-one luxury cars imported duty-free by former MPs of the dissolved 12th National Parliament were not sold at auction and have now been handed over to the Department of Government Transport under the Ministry of Public Administration. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued this special order on Wednesday, November 12.

The NBR clarified that the Chittagong Customs House had previously asked whether duty-free privileges would apply to these cars. On December 8 last year, NBR ruled that the cars were not eligible for duty-free clearance and could only be cleared after paying the normal customs duties.

The total customs duty payable for the 31 cars amounts to BDT 2,696,189,600, with the highest single duty BDT 94,483,300 and the lowest BDT 86,267,400.

Although the cars were put up for auction under Section 94(3) of the Customs Act 2023, no bidder offered a “reasonable price,” so the cars could not be sold. An inter-ministerial meeting then decided that the cars should be used appropriately in the public interest. Accordingly, NBR issued the special order to transfer the vehicles to the Ministry of Public Administration.

Importers can still pay the applicable duties and clear the cars. In such cases, the Chittagong Customs House will determine the assessable value and complete the clearance process as per law. After clearance, the cars will return to the Department of Government Transport.