Bangladesh collects a very small portion of its import tax revenue from goods imported from the United States, according to an internal assessment by the National Board of Revenue, following the U.S. decision to impose a 37% reciprocal tariff on Bangladeshi exports.
Between July and March of FY 2024-25, Bangladesh collected only Tk 1,010 crore in taxes from US imports—less than 2% of total import tax revenue for the period. In FY24, the figure was Tk 1,499 crore, representing just 1.5% of the country’s total import duty income. U.S. goods accounted for only 4% of total imports, with import payments totaling Tk 28,144 crore out of Tk 702,230 crore.
Although Bangladesh imports over 2,200 items from the U.S., only 10 products accounted for over Tk 500 crore in tax revenue. Notably, motor cars faced a high total tax incidence (TTI) of 150.76%, while chemical wood pulp was taxed at 20%. Despite Bangladesh having some of the world’s highest TTIs (up to 1,021%), the average tariff on US goods is only about 3–3.5%, including supplementary duties.
The U.S. imposed the 37% tariff based on claims that Bangladesh imposes an average 74% tariff on American products—an assertion dismissed by NBR officials and local experts. They noted that many U.S. goods like cotton, soybeans, LNG, and petroleum enjoy zero-duty status. Officials suggested reducing tariffs on selected U.S. items to improve trade balance but emphasized that real import increases would depend on private sector demand.
Comment here