The National Board of Revenue or NBR is making a list of tax dodgers to keep them under close watch to prevent tax and duty evasion, its Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman said yesterday.

“This is a message to the dishonest businessmen to return to the right path. Do not deprive the country of revenue. The intelligence teams will follow the dishonest businesses,” he said.

His warning came at a press meet at the inauguration of the new office of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate at the Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh in Dhaka. MA Mannan, state minister for finance and planning, and officials of NBR were also present.

“Honest businessmen will be able to continue work without worry.”

Rahman vowed to bring tax and duty evaders under the legal process, declining to share further details. “It's important to keep it secret to make the strategy successful.”

The revenue collector has also formed a committee to detect tax evasion. “We are working to create a tax culture and establish a business and industry-friendly revenue environment,” Rahman said.

The NBR chairman's office has taken steps to prevent the misuse of bonded warehousing, where raw materials for export-oriented industries are given zero-duty entry on a condition that final products will be shipped abroad.

“We foiled attempts of such misuse recently. A number of vigilance teams are also working.”

The government has framed a new customs law to fight smuggling better.  The new law will replace the existing Customs Act 1969 after passage in parliament.

Customs intelligence seized 365 kilograms of smuggled gold in fiscal 2014-15, down from 565 kilograms a year ago. It also seized illegally carried foreign currencies, prohibited medicines, electronics and mobile handsets in its drive to catch duty dodgers, according to customs intelligence data.

It said the state got additional revenue for its vigilance at various customs houses and stations and detection of commercial fraud.