Fresh move to split NBR; nine-member committee formed

The government has taken a fresh initiative to bifurcate the National Board of Revenue (NBR), forming a nine-member committee headed by Principal Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Administration Ismail Zabiullah.

A notification issued on Tuesday (28 April) said the "Recommendation Formulation Committee" has been tasked with reviewing the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance and preparing proposals for its reintroduction.

The committee members include Prime Minister's Adviser on Finance and Planning Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, the cabinet secretary, the secretaries of the public administration division, finance division, financial institutions division, economic relations division, and legislative and parliamentary affairs division.

The secretary of the internal resources division will serve as the member secretary.

The committee has been asked to review the previous ordinance and recommend a more practical and updated draft bill.

However, no timeline has been set for submitting the report.

During the previous interim government, a committee was formed to reform the revenue system, which recommended splitting the NBR.

An ordinance was subsequently issued dividing the NBR into two entities – Revenue Policy and Revenue Management.

The move triggered protests by NBR officials, prompting the government to amend the ordinance. Later, attempts to implement the changes were stalled due to opposition from administrative cadre officials.

The process was eventually put on hold, and the ordinance later lapsed as it was not converted into law by the new government.