Bangladesh, July 30 -- The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has launched a drive to recover around Tk 80 billion in outstanding value-added tax (VAT) by December 2026, targeting businesses with arrears exceeding Tk 5.0 million under a newly introduced one-time settlement scheme.

According to an internal document of the VAT Implementation Wing, the revenue authority has identified around 650 large businesses with combined VAT arrears of nearly Tk 100 billion, most of which are tied up in cases pending before the High Court.

The recovery initiative follows the introduction of a one-time VAT arrear settlement facility under the Finance Act, 2026, allowing businesses to settle long-pending VAT dues, penalties and interest within six months ...