NBR staff threaten complete shutdown of all offices if demands are not met

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) Reform Unity Council has unveiled a new program calling for the removal of the NBR Chairman along with several other demands. The group has warned that if these demands are not met, all NBR offices will face a complete shutdown starting June 28. Meanwhile, the “pen-down strike” will continue.

The new program was announced at a press conference held on Monday (June 23) at the NBR building in Agargaon, Dhaka. Present at the conference were Hasan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar, Additional Commissioner and President of the NBR Reform Unity Council, and Sehela Siddika, Additional Tax Commissioner and General Secretary. Earlier, NBR officers and staff wore white shrouds to observe the pen-down strike.

At the press conference, the leaders of the NBR Reform Unity Council said, “As you know, many transfers have taken place recently. These transfer orders must be canceled. The NBR Chairman must be removed. If this does not happen, officers and staff will completely shut down all offices.”

They further said, “To introduce necessary amendments to the Revenue Ordinance, the Revenue Ordinance Reform Committee formed by NBR must be dissolved, and the NBR Reform Unity Council’s proper representation must be included by today. The controversial and questionable members must be removed and a new committee formed.”

Regarding the new program, the Unity Council said that on Tuesday (June 24), except for international passenger services and exports, officers and staff of all tax, customs, and VAT departments in Dhaka will hold a sit-in and pen-down strike from 9 am to 2 pm at the Revenue Building. Outside Dhaka, similar sit-ins, pen-down strikes, and expressions of resentment against the Chairman and his associates will continue at their respective offices.

If any new transfer orders are issued, on June 25 and 26 from 12 pm to 5 pm, all tax, customs, and VAT offices—excluding international passenger and export services—will observe pen-down strikes, sit-ins, and express resentment against the Chairman and his associates.

The council warned that if transfer orders are not canceled and the NBR Chairman is not removed by June 27, a “complete shutdown” of all tax, customs, and VAT offices, except international passenger services, will begin on June 28.