A fresh wave of protests has thrown the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and its affiliated offices into renewed deadlock, as officials demand the immediate resignation of Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan alongside several other demands.
Protesters allege that the chairman has been obstructing official meetings, forming a controversial committee to amend the NBR Ordinance, and irregularly transferring officials who have participated in the demonstrations.
Officials from various NBR offices in the capital gathered at the NBR headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, Thursday, chanting slogans against the chairman and staging a sit-in protest.
Meanwhile, the finance adviser has called a meeting for Friday to find a solution.
The NBR Reform Unity Council, spearheading the protest movement, has issued a deadline of 27 June to fulfil their demands, which include the resignation of Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan, halting the transfer of protesting officials, and removing controversial figures from the committee tasked with amending the NBR Ordinance.
If their demands are not met, the council has announced a full-scale work stoppage starting 28 June. The shutdown would suspend all services—most notably import and export operations—while only international passenger services would remain operational.
An official at Dhaka Customs House said, “Our pen-down programme will continue until 1:00pm Friday. After that, normal activities will resume temporarily. However, from the 28th, all operations will be suspended, except for international passenger services.”
Another protesting official alleged that a key meeting on NBR reforms was blocked under direct orders from the chairman, preventing it from being held at the NBR headquarters.
“The committee to amend the ordinance was deliberately filled with controversial figures,” the official added. “It appears the chairman’s intent was to politicise and derail the
NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman denied the claims that protesting officials were not given a room for their meeting. "They asked for a room three days ago, and we gave it to them.”
At a press conference this afternoon, protesting officials symbolically tore up transfer orders issued for several officers.
"We thought the issue would be resolved through complete teamwork after Eid, but now our officials are being subjected to repression," said Mirza Ashique Rana, additional commissioner of taxes.
Another NBR official, speaking anonymously, said, "After the pen-down strike was announced, some officials were transferred. But by tearing up the transfer orders in protest, they broke government service rules."
Hasan Tareque Rikabder, president of the NBR Reform Unity Council, announced that they will hold a pen-down strike from noon to 5:00pm Friday.
National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan has said he is in the midst of a serious crisis as officials and employees continue their protests against reforms introduced by the interim government.
On Thursday, he said revenue is being affected to some extent due to the ongoing agitation, urging everyone to work in the interest of the country, “whether it be through reforms, legislation, or protests”.
“I’m actually in a lot of trouble today,” he said during a seminar hosted by the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF).
“You know that the chief advisor and the interim government have made certain decisions regarding NBR reforms, which many of our officers and staff disagree with.”
He added that the finance advisor had announced amendment plans by July in response to the protests, and a meeting with officials was scheduled for 5:00pm on Thursday to find a possible resolution.
During a press conference on Monday, Hasan Tareque and General Secretary Sehela Siddika accused the chairman of acting as a "political agent of the former Awami League government" and destabilising the country's revenue structure.
This accusation followed a sit-in and a three-hour pen-down strike at the NBR headquarters, where officers and staff wore symbolic burial shrouds to express frustration over what they termed "administrative vindictiveness."
Meanwhile, officials at the Custom House in Chattogram staged a three-hour pen-down strike on Monday, following a centrally announced programme. This disruption affected one of the country's busiest customs stations, which handles over 2,000 import bills and approximately 5,000 export documents daily.
The current wave of protests has intensified since the government issued an ordinance on 12 May, abolishing the NBR and the Internal Resources Division and introducing two new entities—the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division.
Following the ordinance, NBR officials began a pen-down strike, which was suspended on 19 May. On 21 May, they declared ongoing non-cooperation with the NBR chairman and announced further programs to press their demands.
