Bangladesh鈥檚 revenue collection fell short by Tk 17,219.97 crore to Tk 119,478 crore in the July-October period of the financial year 2025-26, below the target set at Tk 136,697.07 crore.
However, revenue collection grew by 15.54 per cent from the previous corresponding time in FY25, reaching Tk 103,409.17 crore, according to the provisional data released by the National Board of Revenue on Thursday.
In a single month, October 2025, revenue collection also grew by 2.2 per cent to Tk 28,473 crore, up from Tk 27,854 crore in October 2024.
The collection in October also fell short of its target by Tk 8,320 crore, set at Tk 36,793.06 crore, NBR data stated.
During the July-October period of FY26, customs collection was Tk 34,751 crore, 4.53 per cent higher than the Tk聽33,244 crore received in the first four months of FY25.
However, the revenue collection from customs missed the target of Tk 41,507 crore by over Tk 6,000 crore.
Revenue collection from the VAT section was Tk聽46,878 crore in the first four months of FY26, which was 25.78 per cent higher than the Tk 37,567 crore collected in the same period of the previous financial year, though the section also missed its target of Tk 48,147 crore.
Moreover, with a growth of 16.11 per cent, revenue collection from the income tax sector stood at Tk 37,849 crore in the July-October period of FY26, up from Tk聽32,598 crore in the corresponding period of FY25, the NBR data stated.
Collections from the income tax sector also fell short by over Tk 9,000 crore of the target of Tk 47,073 crore.
Still, revenue collected from indirect sources was higher than that from direct sources in July-October of FY26, according to NBR data.
An NBR official said that, as the target was set higher for the current FY26, the collection from the first four months of FY26 was nothing special.
For FY26, the government set a revenue collection target of Tk聽4,99,000 crore through the NBR, which was about 8 per cent of the total GDP.
To reach the target, Bangladesh needs to collect approximately Tk 40,000 crore per month in revenue.
However, the NBR official expressed hope that the gap between targets and collections might be comparatively narrower this year, as the NBR has expanded its workforce by increasing tax zones nationwide, along with some policies on automation and online tax filing.
In FY25, the NBR faced a record revenue collection shortfall of Tk聽92,625, after collecting Tk 3,70,874 crore, which was about 3.08 per cent lower than the Tk 3,82,678 crore collected in FY24. In FY25, the revised revenue collection target was Tk 4,63,500 crore.
Earlier,聽Professor Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, told 抖阴精品 that Bangladesh has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios globally.
鈥楾he lowest tax-to-GDP ratio is responsible for lower public expenditure, loan dependency of the government, and widening inequality,鈥� he added.
He stated that the higher reliance on indirect taxes, about 60 per cent, was widening inequality in society.
Moreover, due to its lower tax-GDP ratio, Bangladesh was gradually falling into a vicious cycle that was impacting the social safety net, the cost of doing business, and private-sector growth.
鈥楾o reduce the deficit, we must close tax loopholes and ensure good governance by addressing zero tolerance on tax defaulters,鈥� he added.
He also urged comprehensive digitalisation of the tax sector, along with administrative and institutional reforms.
鈥業ndia has a 17 per cent tax-GDP ratio, even Nepal has about 20 per cent, but we are still in a vicious circle of 8 per cent,鈥� he added.
