The National Board of Revenue (NBR) registered 131,000 new VAT payers in December

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) registered around 131,000 new Value Added Tax (VAT) entities nationwide in December under a special countrywide VAT registration drive.

As part of the campaign, the NBR observed VAT Day on December 10 and VAT Week from December 10 to 15, 2025, under the theme *“Register on Time, Pay VAT Correctly.” In line with this initiative, the revenue authority set a target to bring 100,000 unregistered businesses under the VAT net between December 10 and December 31, 2025.

Through sustained awareness campaigns and daily field surveys—including on holidays—the 12 VAT commissionerates across the country surpassed the target, successfully registering 131,000 previously unregistered businesses during December 2025.

According to an NBR press release, before the interim government took office, the total number of VAT-registered entities stood at 516,000. Following the latest registrations, the figure has risen to 775,000.

The release noted that VAT remains the largest source of government revenue among customs duty, VAT and income tax. In the previous fiscal year, VAT accounted for about 38 percent of total revenue, highlighting significant scope for further revenue growth through expansion of the VAT base.

To widen VAT coverage, the government has amended the existing VAT law, lowering the mandatory registration threshold to businesses with an annual turnover exceeding Tk 50 lakh, compared to the previous Tk 3 crore limit.

The NBR has also introduced several measures to ease VAT compliance, including simplified online VAT registration, online deposit of collected VAT to the government treasury, electronic submission of VAT returns through the eVAT system, and automated refunds of excess VAT directly to taxpayers’ bank accounts. Initiatives are also underway to introduce simplified VAT return formats for small businesses.

The NBR urged continued cooperation from consumers, traders, industrialists and the media to ensure the successful implementation of an efficient, fully online VAT system aimed at building a self-reliant and prosperous Bangladesh.