📘 User Guide
Read first — governing disclaimer. This platform is an AI-assisted decision-support tool. It is not a binding ruling and is not a substitute for the Bangladesh Customs Tariff, the Customs Act, the VAT & SD Act, the Income Tax Act, the Finance Act, NBR SROs, or official customs rulings. Every duty, tax, SRO, valuation, classification or regulatory conclusion must be validated against official sources before operational use. See the full Legal Disclaimer.

## 🚀Quick Start — for first-time users

The platform opens directly in your browser; no installation, login or internet connection is required for the core analysis. Everything below works offline from the embedded dataset (the live chart library and external ruling-search links need internet).

STEP 1

#### Open the platform

Double-click the platform HTML file. It boots from the embedded merged BCT dataset (7,785 tariff lines across four fiscal years) and lands on the Executive Dashboard.

STEP 2

#### Move across modules

Use the top navigation tabs to switch between the 15 modules. Each module renders the first time you open it.

STEP 3

#### Set your tax base once

In Duty-Tax Simulation, confirm the tax-base formula. Every TTI figure across the platform follows this setting.

STEP 4

#### Find a commodity

Use the global HS search in the header, or open Modernized BCT Schedule and filter by chapter, to locate a tariff line.

STEP 5

#### Analyse & export

Run the relevant module, then export to CSV/Excel or use Print/PDF for a briefing. Always validate against official sources before use.

STEP 6

#### Upload your own data

Where a module offers an upload control (SRO, import data, rulings, WCO EN references), load it to replace demo data with authoritative figures.

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Two-minute orientation: Dashboard tells you where the pressure is; BCT Schedule tells you what the line says; Simulation tells you what a change would cost; Classification tells you which line a product belongs to. The remaining modules sharpen each of these.

## ✅Common User Tasks

The fastest route through the platform for the jobs users do most. Each card names the module to use and the minimum steps.

## 📂Module Guides (all 15 modules)

Each module is documented under nine standard headings: purpose, who should use it, key inputs, step-by-step method, how to read the outputs, decisions supported, limitations & validation, common mistakes, and recommended next action — followed by a short practical example. Click a header to expand.

## 🧭Recommended Workflow for HS Classification

A defensible classification is built, not guessed. The AI module accelerates the search but the legal basis must always rest on the General Interpretative Rules and the tariff texts. Follow this sequence for every borderline product.

1. Enter a precise commercial product description. Use the trade/commercial name plus what the item actually is — avoid brand-only or vague terms.
2. Add composition, function, use, form, packaging and technical specifications wherever available. Essential character under GRI 3(b) and end-use often turn on exactly these facts.
3. Review the suggested HS candidates. Treat them as leads to investigate, not answers. Read the reason given for each.
4. Compare heading and subheading texts. Classification is decided first at heading (4-digit) level under GRI 1, then at subheading level under GRI 6.
5. Check Explanatory Notes and ruling references where available. Explanatory Notes clarify scope and exclusions; rulings show how similar goods were treated.
6. Review the Bangladesh tariff-line descriptions. National 8-digit splits may differ from the international 6-digit; confirm the exact operative line.
7. Check duties, taxes, SROs and regulatory requirements attached to the candidate line — the classification drives revenue and controls.
8. Prepare a classification justification. State the heading text relied on, the applicable GRI, the Section/Chapter Notes considered, and the essential-character reasoning.
9. Seek an advance ruling where legal certainty is required — high value, recurring imports, disputed scope, or significant duty difference between candidate lines.

⚠️
The single most important rule: confirm the relevance of each suggestion against the tariff text and notes. Do not accept the first AI suggestion as final.

## 📊Recommended Workflow for Tariff Policy Analysis

Use this sequence to move from diagnosis to an evidence-based reform recommendation suitable for an NBR or development-partner note.

1. Review tariff structure by chapter/section. Establish average protection, dispersion and the slab profile across the schedule.
2. Identify tariff peaks and para-tariff concentration. Locate the lines and chapters where para-tariffs (RD, SD, AT) drive the burden.
3. Review the input–output tariff relationship. Compare protection on inputs versus finished goods to see escalation.
4. Simulate duty-tax reform options. Run scenarios (e.g., cap the top CD slab, remove RD/AT, correct inversion) in the Simulation module.
5. Estimate the revenue impact of each option, using elasticity bands where import data is available.
6. Check the effect on domestic industry, consumers, revenue and trade facilitation — assess the trade-offs, not just the headline revenue.
7. Prepare a policy recommendation with evidence. Present the baseline, the option, the quantified impact and the residual risks in a policy-note format.

## 🗃Data Required for Full Use of the Platform

The platform ships with an embedded demonstration dataset. For operational, audit-grade use, replace or supplement it with the following authoritative data via the upload controls.

Data set | Why it is needed | Source
--- | --- | ---
Latest Bangladesh Customs Tariff (operative BCT, with statistical units per line) | Authoritative rates, line descriptions and units for every module | NBR / Bangladesh Customs
Finance Act and current SROs (full concession/exemption universe) | Statutory rate changes and concession logic for SRO & exemption analysis | NBR / Ministry of Finance
Import declaration data (declaration-level or aggregated) | Revenue and elasticity analysis grounded in real trade | ASYCUDA / NBR
Import value and quantity data (by HS, origin, importer) | Unit-value benchmarking and revenue weighting | NBR / BBS / Customs
Classification rulings and advance rulings corpus | Precedent for AI classification and ruling intelligence | NBR / Bangladesh Customs
WCO Explanatory Notes & Classification Opinions (authorised edition) | Legal interpretation for classification — subject to WCO licensing | WCO (licensed)
Input–output / industry value-chain data | Effective-protection analysis | BBS / industry / I-O tables

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Licensing note: WCO Explanatory Notes and Classification Opinions are copyright material. The embedded extracts are partial; load only an authorised edition your organisation is licensed to use.

## 📖Glossary of Customs & Tariff Terms

Plain-language definitions of the technical terms used in the platform and this guide. Use the search box above to jump to a term.

## ❓Frequently Asked Questions

Click a question to expand the answer.

## 🛠Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to resolve them.

Symptom | Likely cause | What to do
--- | --- | ---
Charts show "Chart library offline" | No internet; the chart library loads from a CDN | Connect to the internet and reload. Tables and analysis still work offline.
External ruling search returns nothing / blocked | Foreign ruling databases block cross-site access (CORS) and may require licences | Use the provided search links in your own browser tab, or upload a results CSV.
TTI figures look wrong or inconsistent | Tax-base formula not set, or set differently than expected | Open Duty-Tax Simulation and confirm the formula; all modules then recompute consistently.
A module shows "Module error" | A render error, often from an unexpected uploaded file format | Reload the page; re-check the uploaded file's columns/format against the module's expected structure.
Uploaded SRO file produces no results | Column headers or HS-code format do not match | Match the expected columns and the HS-code digit length; remove merged header rows.
Export file will not open | Spreadsheet app association, or file still downloading | Open with Excel/LibreOffice; for CSV, import with UTF-8 encoding.
Classification suggestions seem off-target | Description too short or brand-only | Add composition, function, use, form and packaging, then re-run.
Print/PDF cuts content | Browser print scaling | Use the Print button, choose "Save as PDF", set margins to default and scale to "Fit".

## 🧾Data Validation Checklist

Before relying on any output operationally, work through this checklist. Your progress is tracked below (it is not saved and resets on reload).

## ⚖️Legal Disclaimer

Decision-support only. This is an AI-assisted decision-support platform. Its outputs are analytical estimates and suggestions intended to support — not replace — professional judgement.

Not a binding ruling. Nothing produced by the platform constitutes a binding classification, valuation, assessment or legal determination. Only the competent authority can issue a binding ruling.

Not a substitute for law. The platform is not a substitute for the Bangladesh Customs Tariff, the Customs Act, the VAT & SD Act, the Income Tax Act, the Finance Act, NBR SROs, or official customs rulings and guidance. Where the platform and an official source differ, the official source prevails.

Validate before use. Any duty, tax, SRO, valuation, classification or regulatory conclusion must be validated against current official sources before operational, assessment or policy use. The authors accept no liability for decisions taken on the basis of platform outputs without such validation.

Data & licensing. Embedded WCO Explanatory Note extracts are partial and provided for reference; use only an authorised, licensed edition for operational classification. Import and revenue figures in the demonstration dataset are illustrative until replaced with authoritative uploads.
Interactive User Guide — companion to the Bangladesh Tariff & Trade Intelligence Platform. Prepared for training, internal use and handover. AI-assisted decision-support — not a binding ruling or legal tariff instrument.
© 2026 Mohammed Mahraj ul Alam Samrat, Head of Trade Facilitation & Regulatory Compliance, TRACE Consulting Ltd. — Bangladesh Tariff & Trade Intelligence Platform. All rights reserved. Decision-support reference only; not an official Government of Bangladesh source. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is prohibited.
Governing disclaimer: AI-assisted decision-support only. Not a binding ruling or legal tariff instrument. Validate all outputs against the latest BCT, NBR SROs, Finance Act, Customs Act, VAT & SD Act, Income Tax Act and official NBR/Bangladesh Customs guidance. Do not rely on any rate, SRO benefit, regulatory requirement, valuation figure or classification as legally final without official confirmation.
BETA VERSION — released for professional review; data, features and outputs are subject to change and verification.