Govt okays NBR ordinance changes, partially addressing officials’ demands 

The Advisory Council today (21 August) approved amendments to the ordinance that dissolved the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and created two new divisions, partially addressing demands raised by protesting revenue officials.

The revised ordinance specifies that the Revenue Management Division will be headed by officials with experience in revenue administration, rather than leaving it as a matter of "preference" as stated in the earlier version. This effectively opens the door for officers from the NBR's two revenue cadres – customs and income tax – to assume leadership roles in the division.

By contrast, the Revenue Policy Division has been kept open to any qualified official, allowing the government to appoint from the administration cadre or from the NBR revenue cadre. According to the new provision, the secretary of the division must have expertise in macroeconomics, trade policy, planning, revenue policy, or revenue management.

The amendments were approved at the Council's 39th meeting at the Chief Adviser's Office, chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. The decision followed the recommendations of a committee led by Energy Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters at a press briefing this afternoon.

In a press release issued after the meeting, the press wing said, "The amended ordinance brings changes to 11 sections of the previous ordinance. The positions of secretary and other posts in both divisions will now be filled by officials with specialised knowledge, rather than being restricted to any specific cadre."

The statement further clarified that in the case of the Revenue Management Division, "any government official with experience in revenue collection work may be appointed as secretary."

Protesters' demand met partially

Officials and insiders said the revisions meet the NBR cadres' demands only partially. One senior NBR officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TBS, "Given the circumstances, this was probably the best possible outcome. The amendment was based on a proposal that came from within the NBR itself."

However, he added that uncertainty remains over postings to other positions and whether officials appointed to the policy division may later be transferred back to management roles. "That will only be clear once the organogram is finalised," he said.

Some members of the Revenue Reform Committee expressed dissatisfaction, saying they saw "no major positive change" in the amendment, though most declined to be named for fear of reprisal.

Long protest

On 13 May this year, the government promulgated an ordinance abolishing the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and creating two separate entities — the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division.

However, this raised widespread dissatisfaction among NBR officers. They argued the ordinance had been designed to favour administration cadre officials, thereby shrinking their chances of leading the newly created divisions.

In protest, NBR officers launched a movement in mid-May, which escalated to programmes such as halting operations at ports by late June. In response, the government took stern measures — suspending 36 officials, forcing five into retirement, and transferring around 400 officers.