During the tenure of the ousted Awami League government, more than 5,000 firearm licenses were issued. The majority of these licenses were in the names of Awami League leaders, workers, and business supporters of the party.
The current interim government has doubled the license fees and renewal fees for all types of firearms, both at the individual and institutional levels. Additionally, a new tax rule has been introduced: applicants for pistols/revolvers/rifles will have to pay a minimum of 500,000 BDT in income tax, while for shotguns, the minimum tax is set at 200,000 BDT.
Recently, the government canceled the Arms License Issuance, Renewal, and Usage Policy-2016 and released the Arms License Issuance, Renewal, and Usage Policy-2025. Several changes have been introduced in the new policy.
The fees for firearm licenses and renewals have been increased, and the income tax on firearms has also been raised.
According to sources from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the current interim government has introduced stricter regulations for firearms. "Firearms will no longer be issued to just anyone." Only those who are deemed eligible to use firearms will be issued licenses after verification.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Home Affairs has canceled over 5,000 firearm licenses that were issued during the Awami League government. This step was taken after discrepancies were found in the documents related to the firearms that were submitted and not submitted for verification as per the interim government's directive.
The new policy states that amendments made to the 2016 Arms License Policy will be considered canceled. Additionally, any previous executive orders or directives related to this issue will be superseded by the new policy, which will be implemented immediately.
Applicants will need to pay a minimum of 500,000 BDT in income tax for pistols/revolvers/rifles and 200,000 BDT for shotguns in the previous three tax years. Under the 2016 policy, the corresponding amounts were 300,000 BDT and 100,000 BDT.
For pistols/revolvers, the district magistrate will assess the applicant's eligibility for a firearm license and, if deemed eligible, will send the recommendation to the Ministry of Home Affairs. If the Ministry approves, the district magistrate will issue the license.
The license issuance fee for individuals for pistols/revolvers was 30,000 BDT, which has now been doubled to 60,000 BDT. The fee for guns/shotguns/rifles was 20,000 BDT, and it has now been increased to 40,000 BDT.
The renewal fee for licenses has also been doubled. For pistols/revolvers, the renewal fee has increased from 10,000 BDT to 20,000 BDT, and for guns/shotguns/rifles, it has risen from 5,000 BDT to 10,000 BDT.
Sources have stated that although all licenses have been suspended and weapons are to be deposited, over 7,000 licensed firearms have not been submitted.
Even after conducting house-to-house searches, the police have not been able to find these licensed firearms. After the change in government, many individuals who received firearm licenses have gone into hiding, and some have even fled the country.
According to the Special Branch (SB) of the police, there are 49,671 licensed firearms in the country. Of these, over 46,000 licenses are in the names of individuals, and the rest are in the names of institutions.
Among the individual licenses, at least 8,200 are in the names of Awami League leaders and workers. The BNP has about 2,500 firearm licenses in the names of its leaders and workers, while only 79 licenses are in the names of people associated with other political parties.
The report also mentions that due to specific tax evasion information, the bank accounts of more than a hundred individuals and institutions have been seized.
The press release highlights that the activities of the Revenue Intelligence and Investigation Unit in the tax sector are considered a significant advancement in terms of ethics, technology, and legal aspects.
The successes the unit has already achieved prove that it will not only play a key role in revenue collection but also in increasing taxpayers' compliance with the law and fostering a healthy tax culture.
It is worth noting that, in addition to the Income Tax Department under the National Board of Revenue (NBR), separate intelligence units also operate under the VAT and Customs Departments for detecting tax and customs evasion.
Furthermore, a central intelligence cell (CIC) under NBR has been established to coordinate these activities.