NBR protest escalates as officials walk out across country

Staff Reporter :

Officials and employees of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) across the country enforced a full-fledged strike on Saturday to press home their four-point demand, escalating ongoing tensions within the revenue administration.

The strike, called by the NBR Reform Unity Council, began in the morning at all offices under the Tax, Customs, and VAT departments, excluding Customs Houses and Letters of Credit (LC) Stations.

Amid concerns over the unrest, members of the army and police were deployed in front of the NBR headquarters in Dhaka as a precautionary measure.

The protesting officials have vowed to continue their movement until all of their demands are met.

Their key demands include repeal of the ordinance that proposes the dissolution of the NBR, immediate removal of the NBR chairman, public disclosure of the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee’s recommendations via the NBR’s website and ensuring a comprehensive and sustainable revenue reform process through stakeholder consultation and review.

The NBR Reform Unity Council has intensified its agitation in recent days. On Wednesday, it announced a fresh set of programmes, including continued non-cooperation with the NBR chairman.

A sit-in demonstration was held on Thursday at the NBR headquarters and regional offices throughout the country.

The Council initially began a pen-down strike on 14 May, which was later suspended on 19 May following a government proposal for dialogue, initiated under the directive of the Chief Adviser.

Despite the temporary suspension, Saturday’s strike marks a significant escalation in the standoff between revenue officials and the interim administration, raising concerns about potential disruptions to tax collection and economic governance.