Revenue Conference 2026 Sets Ambitious Targets in Dhaka
The Revenue Conference 2026 was held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Agargaon, Dhaka, with top government leaders in attendance. Officials discussed major fiscal targets, structural shifts in revenue collection, and administrative costs.
The Revenue Conference 2026 took place on August 18, 2026, at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre located in Agargaon, Dhaka. The high-profile event brought together key figures from the administration and economic sectors to deliberate on the nation's fiscal policies and future revenue collection strategies managed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
Among the distinguished attendees at the conference were Prime Minister Tariq Rahman, Finance Minister Amir Khru Mahmud Chowdhury, and Dr. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, the Prime Minister's Adviser for Finance and Planning. Their presence underscored the critical importance of the discussions surrounding the country's macroeconomic stability and national development goals.
Addressing the gathering, Ahsan Habib described revenue collection not merely as an administrative responsibility, but as a sacred vow towards building a self-reliant state. He further pointed out that for the 2026-27 fiscal year, the NBR has been assigned a massive revenue target of Tk 604,000 crore. Achieving this target requires a growth rate of approximately 45 percent, which he acknowledged as a major challenge that the NBR has nevertheless undertaken out of national necessity.
The conference also highlighted significant historical shifts in the composition of government revenue. Statistical data presented at the event showed that during the 1972-73 fiscal year, import duties alone accounted for 55 percent of total revenue. In stark contrast, import-based revenue has dropped significantly, falling to 27 percent in the 2025-26 fiscal year, while income tax and value-added tax (VAT) together now provide 73 percent of total revenue.
Furthermore, recent performance metrics indicate an upward trend in collection efficiency. In the 2025-26 fiscal year, revenue collection growth exceeded 12 percent, a substantial improvement compared to the mere 2.5 percent growth recorded in the preceding fiscal year. Additionally, operational efficiency data revealed that the NBR incurs a cost of only 21 poisha for every 100 taka of revenue collected, as detailed by Syed Mushfiqur Rahman.
