NBR employees expected to call off indefinite strike after finance ministry assurance, says source

The protesting officers and employees of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) are expected to call off their announced full-fledged strike in all offices of the Tax, Customs and VAT Department from tomorrow (26 May) after the finance ministry said the ordinance to split the NBR will be amended by 31 July after consulting with key stakeholders, keeping the interests of the protesters.

"We are hoping to officially announce a halt to the movement shortly," a protesting official told The Business Standard this evening (25 May), shortly after the finance ministry issued a press statement urging the protesters to withdraw their movement and to return to work.

Earlier in the afternoon, the protesting NBR employees announced they will launch a full-fledged strike in all offices of the Tax, Customs and VAT Department from tomorrow, which will result in a halt to nearly all import and export activities, in a bid to press home their four-point demand, including repealing the ordinance to dissolve the NBR.

Only international passenger services and life-saving medicines and goods will be exempt from this strike, Deputy Commissioner Abdul Quayum and Roisun Nesa, leaders of the NBR Reform Unity Council, which is leading the protest, made the announcement at a press conference today.

Shortly after their announcement, the finance ministry issued a press statement, saying the ordinance to split the National Board of Revenue (NBR) will be amended by 31 July after consulting with the Advisory Committee on Revenue Reforms and key stakeholders, keeping the interests of BCS (Customs and Excise) and BCS (Tax) cadres intact.

"Until those amendments are finalised, the ordinance will not be implemented," the ministry said in a press statement this evening (25 May).

The ministry also said the NBR will be elevated to the status of an independent and specialised department under the Ministry of Finance.

The government expressed hope that this announcement would end all concerns of the protesting officials and employees of the NBR and that all departments in the country that collect revenue and provide revenue services will immediately start full-fledged operations.

The finance ministry said the press statement issued by the ministry on 22 May explained the government's position on various demands of the NBR Reform Unity Council,  a coalition of customs and tax cadre officers that has been leading the protest.

"In view of that, the government had hoped that all the concerns of the NBR Tax, Customs and VAT Service regarding the ordinance would end. But the finance ministry feels that some ambiguity remains in this regard from the recent press release [announcement of indefinite strike] of the NBR Reform Unity Council," it says, explaining the latest ministry press statement.

The NBR employees have been protesting over four demands for the last two weeks. Their demands are repealing the ordinance to dissolve the NBR, removal of the NBR chairman, publication of the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee's recommendations on the NBR website, and ensuring appropriate and sustainable revenue system reforms through review and discussion with all relevant stakeholders.

The protesters threatened to continue their protests until all of their demands were met.

Previously, the NBR Reform Unity Council initiated a strike on 29 April in response to the interim government's proposed restructuring of the NBR.

Following the initial protests, several hundred officials from tax zones in Dhaka participated in demonstrations at the NBR headquarters.

They met with NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan to express their concerns and urge revisions to the proposed ordinance.

The government proceeded with the reforms, officially dissolving the NBR and establishing two separate entities -- the Revenue Policy Division (RPD) and the Revenue Management Division (RMD) -- on 13 May.

This action intensified the unrest among revenue officials who viewed the move as undermining their roles and the integrity of the tax administration system.

They started a pen-down strike on 14 May and then suspended it on 19 May.

Last Wednesday (21 May), they announced a series of new programmes, including ongoing non-cooperation with the NBR chairman, to press home their demands.