The protesting officials, under the banner of “the NBR Reform Unity Council,” today announced a fresh five-day programme, demanding the immediate removal of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman alongside the repeal of the new ordinance.
The development, which apparently shows a deepening crisis in the revenue administration over the dissolution of the NBR through a new ordinance, comes as the officials resumed demonstrations this morning, saying that talks with government advisers over the repeal of the new ordinance had not been fruitful.
With this, the demonstration entered its sixth day, hampering trade, business operations, and revenue-related activities.
In a press briefing at the NBR headquarters today, the NBR Reform Unity Council declared a non-cooperation programme with the NBR chairman starting from today.
The platform of tax, customs, and VAT officials said they will submit a memorandum to the chief adviser, followed by sit-in programmes at NBR offices in Dhaka and across the country tomorrow (May 22).
The council, however, said exports and international passenger services will remain unaffected by their ongoing protests, according to a press release.
The platform threatened to go for complete work abstention in all tax, customs, and VAT offices—excluding Customs Houses and Land Customs Stations—on May 24 and 25 from 9 am to 5 pm.
It announced a total work stoppage from May 26 in all relevant offices. International passenger services will be out of the purview of the strike, said the NBR Reform Unity Council in the press statement.
Officials are protesting an ordinance that seeks to dissolve the NBR and the Internal Resources Division and create two separate divisions—one for tax policy and another for revenue collection.
While the government says the restructuring will reduce conflicts of interest by separating policy and implementation, revenue officials say certain provisions are discriminatory.
Their primary concern is a clause allowing government officials from the administration cadre to head the two new divisions, which they argue would marginalise revenue cadre officers.
Earlier, the protesting officials and employees issued a three-point demand, which included repealing the ordinance on restructuring the revenue administration.
Their other demands are the public disclosure of a state advisory committee’s report on NBR reforms, which was submitted to the finance ministry, and inclusive, consultative, and sustainable reforms for the revenue administration.
At a meeting yesterday with government advisers, including Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, the officials said they were given no assurance, prompting the escalation of protests.
In line with the call of the council, which had earlier postponed its daily five-hour pen-down strike since last Wednesday, officials resumed sit-ins from this morning.
