In the first three months of the current 2026-27 fiscal year, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has faced a major shortfall in revenue collection. In the July-September quarter, the revenue shortfall compared with the target stood at about Tk 42,000 crore, while growth was only 1.23 percent. The worst situation is in value added tax, or VAT, collection. In the three months, the VAT collection target was Tk 56,729 crore, but only Tk 28,583 crore was collected. That is, the shortfall in VAT alone is Tk 28,146 crore.
According to NBR sources, the total revenue collection target for the current fiscal year is Tk 604,000 crore. Although income tax collection grew by 17 percent in the first three months, there were large shortfalls in VAT and customs duties at the import-export stage. The shortfall in customs is about Tk 12,135 crore. Officials concerned attribute the 15.81 percent decline in VAT collection compared with last year to administrative weaknesses, the new rule requiring returns to be filed every three months, and lower VAT receipts from several large companies.
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