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Published : 16 Jul 2025, 02:52 PM
The government has formed an inter-ministerial committee to estimate revenue losses caused by the ongoing protests opposing the bifurcation of the National Board of Revenue and pressing for the removal of its chairman.
The Internal Resources Division, which oversees the NBR, issued a separate order on Wednesday announcing the nine-strong committee, headed by Joint Secretary Syed Robiul Islam.
The division’s deputy secretary (Admin-1) has been made the panel’s member secretary.
Other committee members include one representative each from the Finance Division, the commerce ministry, the Chittagong Port Authority at the deputy secretary level, alongside suitable representatives from the NBR, BGMEA, and FBCCI.
The panel will calculate losses from customs, VAT, and Income Tax employees’ work stoppage and shutdown programme, including damages from the two-day closure of Chattogram Custom House on Jun 28–29, revenue losses at all customs, VAT, and tax offices nationwide over two months of movement, and impact on assessment activities and import and export operations at land and river ports. A report must be submitted within 30 days.
Earlier, 14 officers, including NBR Reform Unity Council chief and Dhaka Additional Commissioner Hasan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar, were suspended on Tuesday for “defying” transfer orders during the movement.
The Internal Resources Division suspended them in separate notifications.
Initially, eight employees from the Income Tax Division were suspended through separate orders, followed by similar action against five officers from the Customs wing and one from the Income Tax Division in subsequent orders.
On Jun 22, five officers from the Income Tax Division were transferred “immediately” amid protests by the agency’s staff.
The following day, officials and employees held a press conference, denouncing the order as “vengeful and oppressive” before tearing it up in public.
The decision to suspend the officials was taken due to their "defiant behaviour" in tearing up the official order, and for those who supported such acts.
Earlier, the NBR suspended three officials for “disrespecting” the transfer order.
The Chattogram Customs House commissioner has been suspended, while a series of officials have faced transfer orders.
The protest followed a government ordinance issued in May that divided the NBR into two departments -- Revenue Management and Revenue Policy.
NBR staff launched demonstrations, including a pen strike, demanding that the ordinance be repealed.
On May 22, the finance ministry announced that “necessary amendments” would be made to the ordinance and that all NBR operations would continue under the existing structure until those changes were in place.
Despite the government’s response, employees initiated a fresh movement, demanding the resignation of the NBR chairman.
They declared him “undesirable” at the agency’s offices and raised several allegations against him.
On Jun 28, the protesters launched a “complete shutdown” of NBR operations, halting activities including import and export.
As the programme continued, the interim government announced that the agency’s services would be declared “essential”.
That same day, the government urged NBR employees to return to work and avoid actions deemed illegal or harmful to national interests.
Later, an advisory committee of five members was formed to address the crisis.
The shutdown was called off after mediation by business leaders and an agreement with the NBR Reform Unity Council, the platform leading the protest.
Soon after, the Anti-Corruption Commission opened investigations into 16 individuals identified as key figures in the protest movement.
The probe is being carried out in three phases.
Since the movement ended, three NBR members and one commissioner have been forced into retirement.
One customs commissioner has been temporarily suspended, and several others have been transferred.
