Misconception cleared, NBR to remain dissolved
Staff Reporter :
Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed stated yesterday that the “misconception” between the interim government advisers and officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been resolved. The finance ministry is now set to proceed with addressing the issue.
Speaking after a meeting on Tuesday at the Secretariat with NBR officials, Ahmed declined to provide further details but assured that the demands raised by the NBR would be addressed as far as possible while formulating
the rules for the newly created departments.
“The demands made by the NBR officials will be fulfilled as much as possible during the rule-making process for the two new departments,” he said. Ahmed also confirmed that there would be no further formal meetings on this issue, as an advisory committee has been established for ongoing discussions with NBR officials.
When asked whether the meeting had been productive, the adviser responded positively. Regarding the timeline for the new departments to commence operations, he noted that a government gazette notification must first be published and that considerable preparatory work remains. He added that it was unlikely this process would be completed before the upcoming budget.
On the matter of the ongoing NBR pen-down protest, Ahmed remarked, “We requested the officials to withdraw the strike. What they say about it will not affect me.”
Meanwhile, NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman confirmed that the finance adviser and other senior advisers had listened to the board officials’ concerns regarding the recent dissolution of the revenue board. However, he refrained from providing details on the discussions.
An official present at the meeting indicated that the NBR would issue a press statement summarising the outcomes in due course.
Alongside Adviser Salehuddin, Energy Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan, Environment Adviser Syed Rizwana Hasan, and several senior officials from both the NBR and the finance ministry attended the meeting.
The meeting took place amid ongoing protests by NBR officials, who have been observing a pen-down strike following the government’s decision to restructure the revenue board by dividing it into two entities-the Revenue Policy Division (RPD) and the Revenue Management Division (RMD).
A government ordinance formalising this change was issued on the night of 12 May, triggering protests from tax and customs cadre officials who claim the move undermines their status.
Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed pledged to complete the full restructuring of the revenue board by December. He noted that demands for both secretaries to be drawn exclusively from the NBR cadre were not feasible.
“There is a strike and protest at the NBR, but we will not compromise,” he said. “Back in 2008, NBR officials also resisted reform, with customs officials blocking automation. Had automation and management been separated then, revenue collection would be in a much better state today.”