NBR officials announce nationwide shutdown from Saturday

Officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have threatened an indefinite nationwide shutdown from Saturday unless the NBR chairman is removed and recent transfer orders for revenue officials are revoked.

The NBR Reform Unity Council, a platform of protesting staff from the tax, customs, and VAT departments, made the announcement yesterday at a press briefing at the revenue headquarters in the Agargaon area of Dhaka.

The declaration came after a three-hour pen-down strike.

This latest wave of protests follows more than 10 days of demonstrations last month, when officials across the country voiced opposition to the government's decision to separate revenue policy from implementation.

Yesterday, revenue officials observed a three-hour work stoppage and sit-ins, wearing burial shrouds to draw attention to their grievances.

The council said pen-down strikes and sit-ins would continue today, tomorrow, and Thursday.

It accused the NBR chairman of "trying to destabilise" both the country and the revenue system.

"The expected NBR reform is not possible under the current NBR chairman, as he won't let it happen," said Sehela Siddiqua, general secretary of the council.

The government on May 12 issued a gazette notification splitting the revenue authority into policy and implementation wings and eventually dissolving the NBR.

The move was part of an overhaul aimed at increasing tax collection, as per conditions by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under its ongoing $4.7 billion loan package.

In protest, NBR officials staged demonstrations and work stoppages until May 26.

They postponed the demonstration after the government promised not to dissolve the NBR but instead to upgrade it into an independent and specialised agency.

Authorities also pledged to review and amend the ordinance issued earlier.

However, officials have since alleged that they were not included in the review process and that key protesters have faced "punitive transfers and harassment."

"Instead of facilitating the reform process, the chairman is creating instability by obstructing it. Several officials involved in the revenue reform movement have faced retaliatory and punitive transfers through multiple official orders," Siddiqua said at the press briefing at NBR headquarters yesterday.

She added that the council had sought to book a seminar room for a preparatory meeting ahead of its planned event titled "What Kind of NBR Do We Want?", but the chairman denied permission.

Contacted for comment, NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan rejected the allegations but declined to elaborate.

Field offices outside Dhaka also observed the strike yesterday.

In port city Chattogram, revenue officials stopped work for three hours, suspending all import-related customs assessments and clearance procedures at the customs house.

Export operations and airport passenger services continued without disruption.

"As planned, all officers and staff observed a three-hour pen-down strike, halting import assessments, examinations, and clearances during this time," said Mohammad Saidul Islam, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Customs House.

"Essential services like export processing and airport passenger operations were excluded from the strike. Normal work resumed at noon," he added.