NBR withdraws movement

The officials and employees of the National Board of Revenue have withdrawn their ongoing movement to press home their demand for discussion with them before carrying out any reforms in the NBR.

The announcement was made at around 9:30 pm today, Sunday, which has ended for now the recent protest programme.

The announcement of the withdrawal was made at a joint press conference by the leaders of the NBR Reform Unity Council and representatives of the country’s top business leaders.

The press conference was held at the office of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) in the capital’s Tejgaon.

BCI president Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez spoke on behalf of the business community, while the NBR Reform Unity Council president and additional commissioner Hasan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar spoke on behalf of the Council.

Also present at the press conference were former FBCCI (Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries) president Mir Nasir Hossain, BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) president Mahmud Hasan Khan, managing director of Apex Footwear, leading leather goods manufacturer and exporter, and former President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Syed Nasim Manzur, and vice-president of the NBR Reform Unity Council Mirza Ashiq Rana, among others.

A complete shutdown by NBR officials and employees since last Saturday had brought all NBR operations, including import and export activities, to a standstill.

Due to this programme, called by the NBR Reform Unity Council, customs and tax collection activities had ceased at NBR headquarters in Dhaka, Chattogram Port, Dhaka Customs House, Benapole, Sonamasjid, Akhaura, Burimari, and all other land ports across the country. Import-export activities were effectively paralysed.

However, for the past one and a half months, NBR officials and employees have been staging protests demanding rational reforms of the NBR, based on discussion with all stakeholders.