31 luxury cars imported by members of the now-defunct 12th National Parliament are to be transferred to the Department of Government Transport under the Ministry of Public Administration, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has directed, citing “public interest.”
The order, issued on Wednesday, follows a months-long dispute over whether former lawmakers could retain the vehicles imported under duty-free privileges after the parliament’s dissolution.
According to the NBR, several former MPs imported the cars under special exemptions allowed during their tenure.
However, once parliament was dissolved, the Chittagong Customs House sought clarification on whether those privileges remained valid.
In December 2024, the NBR confirmed that the exemptions ceased immediately after dissolution, making the importers liable for full customs duties and taxes.
Because the dues were not paid, the vehicles remained unreleased.
The NBR subsequently attempted to auction them under Section 94(3) of the Customs Act, 2023, but no bids met the reserve value.
An inter-ministerial committee later decided that the cars, ranging in value and condition, would be handed over to the Ministry of Public Administration’s transport department for government use.
The NBR estimates that the total outstanding duties on the 31 vehicles amount to Tk269.61 crore, with individual dues ranging between Tk8.62 crore and Tk9.44 crore per car.
The board further noted that importers who wish to legally reclaim their vehicles may still do so by paying the required duties.
In such cases, the Chittagong Customs House will reassess the vehicles’ value, process the clearances, and issue customs release certificates, after which the Department of Government Transport will return the cars.
“These high-value vehicles will now serve as public assets while preserving the importers’ legal rights should they wish to regularize their ownership,” said an NBR official familiar with the decision.
