The NBR Unity Council, a platform comprising officers and employees from the Customs, VAT, and Income Tax wings of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), on Tuesday announced a three-day work abstention, starting from Wednesday.
The protest is in response to the government’s decision to split the NBR, allegedly bypassing the recommendations of the NBR Reform Committee.
Additional Commissioner Sadhan Kumar Kundu announced the program following a sit-in demonstration in front of the NBR headquarters.
According to him, the work abstention will take place from 10am to 1pm on Wednesday, 10am to 3pm on Thursday and 10am to 3pm on Saturday.
Joint Commissioners Monalisa Shahrin Susmita and Fazle Elahi also addressed the gathering.
The sit-in began at 4pm. During the demonstration, NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman left the premises to attend a meeting elsewhere.
For the past several weeks, NBR officials have been protesting, demanding that the provision allowing administrative cadre officials to be appointed under the new law be revoked.
The law, which splits the NBR into two separate entities, the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division, has become a major point of contention.
The government formed the NBR Reform Committee on October 9 last year, comprising former NBR chairmen Muhammad Abdul Mazid and Nasiruddin Ahmed, along with former members Delwar Hossain and Aminur Rahman.
The ordinance was reportedly published in secrecy at midnight on Monday.
Under the new law, the government may appoint any suitably qualified government officer as secretary or senior secretary of the newly formed Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Divisions.
Additionally, the Customs, Excise and Value Added Tax Appellate Tribunal and the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal will now fall under the Revenue Policy Division of the Finance Ministry.
The interim government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, recently approved the draft law to divide the NBR into the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division.
As per the law, various posts in the two divisions will be filled by officers with experience in income tax, value-added tax, customs, economics, business administration, research and statistics, administration, audit and accounting, and legal affairs.
The law states that it is necessary to separate revenue policy formulation from revenue collection management in order to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the revenue system.
It further states that administrative posts within the Revenue Management Division will be filled by officers from the Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration) cadre and by employees currently working in the Revenue Management Department.
Since Parliament is currently dissolved and the president is satisfied that circumstances exist requiring immediate action, the president, exercising powers conferred by Article 93(1) of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, will promulgate the Ordinance, titled The Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance, 2025.
Upon promulgation, the government will, through a notification in the Official Gazette, establish a new division called the Revenue Policy Division, under the Ministry of Finance.
