Staff Reporter :
Officers opposing the dissolution of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have announced an indefinite non-cooperation agitation starting Wednesday, demanding an immediate removal of NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan.
During a press conference on Wednesday in the capital, the protesting officials also declared a full-scale work stoppage-excluding operations at customs houses and land customs stations-across all tax, customs, and VAT offices beginning Saturday (24 May).
They warned that if their demands are not fulfilled by then, they will escalate the protest to a complete shutdown of all NBR activities, with the exception of international passenger services, starting Monday (26 May).
For the past week, the officials have been staging daily five-hour pen-down strikes as part of their ongoing agitation. At the press briefing, they also shared plans to submit a memorandum to the Chief Adviser tomorrow, outlining their demands and position on the matter.
Expressing disappointment, the officers described a recent meeting with the finance adviser and members of the advisory council as unproductive and failed.
Their list of demands includes the removal of the current NBR chairman, revocation of the recently enacted ordinance, public release of the Revenue Reform Committee’s recommendations, and a restructuring of the revenue system through inclusive stakeholder consultations.
Hasina Akhter, additional commissioner of taxes, along with three other senior leaders of the NBR Reform Unity Parishad, as well as most senior council members and commissioners, attended the press conference.
NBR employees have been demonstrating since the issuance of an ordinance on 12 May that dissolved the NBR and split it into two separate divisions.
The protesters allege that the ordinance was secretly and hastily issued, bypassing the recommendations of the Revenue Reform Committee and without publishing its report. They fear that this move could lead to their exclusion and marginalisation in the new structure.
