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Published : 28 Jun 2025, 02:33 AM
Protesting officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have rejected both the Ministry of Finance’s appeal for dialogue and the tax agency’s threats of disciplinary action, vowing to carry on with their planned “March to NBR” demonstration.
The NBR Reform Unity Council, the platform leading the movement, announced on Friday that officials from tax, customs, and VAT offices nationwide will begin the march towards Dhaka on Saturday.
“Simultaneously, a complete shutdown will begin in all tax, customs, and VAT offices across the country, except for international passenger services,” the council declared in a statement.
Their decision followed two separate official statements issued late Friday.
First, the Ministry of Finance released a notification offering reassurances. It promised to review recent transfer orders and consider amending the ordinance that split the NBR into two separate divisions, Revenue Management and Revenue Policy -- a move at the heart of the unrest.
Second, the NBR’s own press release warned staff that any official absent without permission, leaving the office early, or arriving late would face “punitive action under government regulations”.
The finance ministry statement detailed a two-and-a-half-hour meeting on Thursday at the office of the Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed and attended by the finance secretary, the secretary of the Financial Institutions Division, the NBR chairman, and 16 board members.
However, no representatives of the protesting officials attended the meeting, as they were not invited.
After the meeting, NBR chief Abdur Rahman Khan told reporters that a solution could be reached “as soon as today” if a decision from the protesters arrived. Advisor Salehuddin, however, suggested another round of talks would take place next week to finalise an agreement.
Despite these remarks expressing hope, the NBR Reform Unity Council has stood firm on its demands. In Friday’s statement, the protesters said: “We noticed today’s press release from the finance advisor’s office. We reiterate that the NBR Reform Unity Council is ready to sit for discussions with the advisor at any time to resolve the crisis.”
They also emphasised that the absence of their representatives at Thursday’s meeting resulted from not being invited, rejecting any implication of unwillingness to negotiate.
The unrest began last month after the government issued an ordinance dividing the NBR into two wings, a restructuring move that many officials see as disruptive and unnecessary.
Protesters launched work stoppages and other demonstrations demanding it be revoked.
Although the government initially appeared to backtrack, promising discussions with NBR employees before implementing the ordinance, tensions reignited as officials shifted focus to demanding the resignation of NBR chairman, whom they declared “unwelcome” at the NBR headquarters.
The situation deteriorated when the chairman, returning to the office under heavy security provided by the army and law enforcers, took disciplinary measures against several protesting officers, including standing releases and refusal to allocate rooms for seminars.
