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The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has proposed imposing the same transit fees and charges on Bhutanese cargo as those applied to Indian goods moving through Bangladesh, as the Himalayan nation prepares for its first trial run under a long-awaited transit deal.

Officials said the NBR has written to the Finance Division, seeking its opinion on whether existing Indian cargo tariffs can be mirrored for Bhutan’s shipments transiting through Bangladesh.

Although Bangladesh and Bhutan signed a transit agreement in March 2023, the two countries have yet to fix the applicable fees and charges. The first trial run is being coordinated after Bhutan designated a company to conduct the test shipment earlier this month.

A Bhutan-bound container from Thailand has already reached Chittagong port, from where it will be transported by truck to Burimari land port, and then onward to Bhutan through India.

Officials said the agreement’s protocol clause requires the formation of a Joint Technical Committee (JTC) to oversee implementation and monitoring. However, the JTC has not yet been formed, delaying the finalisation of transit fees.

At an inter-ministerial meeting on October 23, the NBR concluded that since the nature of Bhutan’s transit is similar to that of India’s, the same charges should apply. The board has sought the Finance Division’s approval before finalising the rate structure for the trial run.

Currently, Bangladesh imposes several fees on Indian transit cargo:

• Tk 30 per consignment as document processing fee
• Tk 20 per tonne as transshipment fee
• Tk 100 per tonne as security charge
• Tk 85 per km as escort charge
• Tk 100 per tonne as miscellaneous administrative charge
• Tk 254 per container as scanning fee

In addition, road tolls are collected based on rates set by the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges.

Once finalised, Bhutan’s transit trial will mark a major step toward operationalising the Bangladesh-Bhutan Transit Agreement, paving the way for stronger regional trade connectivity.