Nepalgunj customs fails to collect targeted revenue

By Siraj Khan,Nepalgunj, Dec. 6: Nepalgunj Customs Office considered to be the largest border crossing in western Nepal has collected Rs. 6.7 billion in revenue during the first four months of the current fiscal year.

According to the information officer of the customs office, Purna Prasad Lamsal, it was able to collect only Rs. 6.75 billion during the first four months of the current fiscal year.

He said that only 22.36 per cent of the annual target of the current fiscal year was collected in the first four months, adding that the customs office could not achieve the target set for the first four months of the current fiscal year.

According to the Nepalgunj Customs Office, only 73.67 per cent of the revenue target was collected in the month of Shrawan, 66.62 per cent in Bhadra, 66.91 per cent in Asoj and 76.44 per cent in Kartik.

The Nepalgunj Customs Office this fiscal year set a target of collecting revenue less by Rs. 1 billion of the target of last fiscal year. But, looking at the present revenue collection scenario, the revenue collection target will not be met.

There was a target to collect  Rs. 28.66 billion for the fiscal year 2023/24, while the target for the current fiscal year is Rs. 27.18 billion. 

The data shows that the office has not been able to achieve the revenue collection target set in  previous fiscal years as well. 

In the fiscal year 2022/23, the Nepalgunj Customs Office, which had set a target to collect  Rs. 29.32 billion, was able to collect only 62.05 per cent (Rs. 18.19 billion) of the target.

Similarly, the customs office had collected revenue of Rs. 22.32 per cent out of the target of Rs. 25.21 billion in the fiscal year 2021/22.

The office, however, had collected revenue of Rs. 21 billion against the target of Rs. 17 billion in the fiscal year 2020/21. After that, the revenue collection target for the customs office increased sharply in the following fiscal years. 

Officials of the customs office said that as the target was determined without proper analysis, revenue collection has been much lower than the target for the past few years.