Dhaka, May 25 -- The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has reiterated its request to the Bangladesh Bank (BB) recently to use the real-time gross settlement (RTGS) facility 24/7 for it to facilitate port users' mandatory online payments of customs duties and charges.

A similar request was earlier made in March, urging swift action.

An official of the central bank said, "We have received a request from the CPA and we are scrutinizing the issue."

The CPA noted that the existing short RTGS hours are not only causing delays in collecting the port's dues but also depriving the government of real-time revenue from income tax and value-added tax (VAT).

Currently, RTGS transactions are only allowed until 3:30 pm. The CPA believes that it will b...