NBR staff’s full-fledged strike enters second day
- Update Time : Sunday, 25 May, 2025, 04:03 pm
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Online Desk : The nationwide strike enforced by officers and employees of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to press home their four-point demand entered its second day on Sunday. The strike, which began at 9 am at all Income Tax, Customs, and VAT offices, is scheduled to continue until 5 pm. However, customs houses and LC stations have been kept outside the scope of the protest, reports UNB. Officials under the banner of the “NBR Reform Unity Council” have vowed to continue their protests until all their demands are fulfilled. They are demanding the repeal of the ordinance that dissolves the NBR, the removal of its chairman, the publication of the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee’s recommendations on the NBR website, and comprehensive revenue system reforms based on discussions with all relevant stakeholders.
The strike was first initiated on April 29 as a reaction to the interim government’s proposal to restructure the NBR. As part of the initial demonstrations, several hundred officials from various tax zones in Dhaka gathered at the NBR headquarters to voice their concerns. They also met with NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan and urged a revision of the proposed ordinance. Despite their objections, the government went ahead with the restructuring and formally dissolved the NBR on May 13. It announced the creation of two new entities — the Revenue Policy Division (RPD) and the Revenue Management Division (RMD) — a move that further fueled dissatisfaction among revenue officials. Many of them believe this action undermines their responsibilities and threatens the integrity of the tax administration system. In protest, the officials began a pen-down strike on May 14, which was temporarily suspended on May 19. However, on Wednesday, they announced a fresh round of programmes, including continued non-cooperation with the NBR chairman, in an effort to press home their demands.
