NBR employees’ work abstention called off
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) Reform Unity Council has suspended its movement withdrawing the previously declared indefinite full-day work abstention across all offices in the country, scheduled to begin tomorrow, Monday.
The announcement to withdraw the program was made by the NBR Reform Unity Council in a press release sent to the media around 8:00pm today. In the statement, a call was made for a prompt decision regarding the removal of the NBR Chairman.
Earlier in the afternoon, the Ministry of Finance stated that the necessary amendments to the ordinance issued regarding the NBR would be made through discussions by 31 July.
Earlier this afternoon, the NBR Reform Unity Council had announced a new programme of work abstention from 9:00am to 5:00pm for an indefinite period at all customs and tax offices across the country, exempting international passenger services and the import of medicines and life-saving equipment.
The Ministry of Finance took immediate step following the announcement of the fresh programme and issued a press release as part of a reconciliation process.
On 12 May, the government issued an ordinance abolishing the NBR and the Internal Resources Division (IRD), replacing them with two new divisions: the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Administration Division. Since then, NBR officials and staff have been staging various protest programmes against this move.
In protest of the ordinance dissolving the NBR, a work abstention took place all day today at the NBR building in Agargaon. Most customs and tax officers and employees were seen gathered beside the main entrance on the ground floor of the building throughout the day, effectively halting NBR operations. NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan has not been present in his office for the past two days.
Not just the NBR headquarters — the work stoppage also took place yesterday across the country, including at Dhaka Customs House, Chattogram Port, Benapole, and Bhomra land ports, as well as other customs stations. The protest has been ongoing for several days under the banner of the NBR Reform Unity Council.
The council has four main demands: immediate repeal of the issued ordinance, immediate removal of the NBR Chairman, public disclosure of the recommendations of the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee via website, and reform of the revenue system by incorporating opinions from business associations, civil society, political leadership, and all relevant stakeholders on the proposed draft and committee recommendations regarding the NBR.