Amid an ongoing National Board of Revenue (NBR) strike that has halted revenue operations, officers and employees of the Income Tax, Customs, and VAT departments continued their full-fledged work stoppage for the second consecutive day on Sunday, demanding the withdrawal of the proposal to dissolve the NBR, with BGB and police personnel deployed at the building to prevent any untoward incidents.
The strike, organized under the banner of the NBR Reform Unity Council, resumed at 9am in front of the NBR headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka.
On-site observations revealed that although NBR officials and employees were present at their workplaces, they were not performing their duties and were seen idly passing the time.
Some sat inside on newspapers, while others loitered outside, effectively bringing normal operations to a halt.
Meanwhile, a significant number of Border Guard Bangladesh and police personnel were deployed inside and around the building to maintain law and order. They were seen in a state of alert.
However, the NBR Reform Unity Council expressed concern, terming the deployment as an attempt to suppress the movement.
They alleged that the government unnecessarily deployed law enforcement personnel during a peaceful protest.
The council said that a press conference was to be held at 4pm to announce the next course of action.
If no new decision is taken, a full-scale strike will continue in all NBR offices, excluding international passenger services, from Monday.
Their four key demands are:
- The newly proposed ordinance to dissolve the NBR must be withdrawn.
- The NBR chairman must be removed.
- The recommendations of the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee must be made public on the NBR website.
- Sustainable revenue system reforms must be ensured through a review and discussion of the proposed draft and the advisory committee’s recommendations, incorporating opinions from relevant stakeholders, including aspiring agencies, business organizations, civil society, and political leaders.
