NBR staff continue strike for day 2, halting services at all Income Tax, Customs, VAT offices

Officers and employees of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) are continuing the full-fledged nationwide strike to press home their four-point demand for the second consecutive day today (25 May).

The strike started at all offices of Income Tax, Customs and VAT offices at 9am and will continue till 5pm, keeping the Customs Houses and LC Stations out of its purview.

The officials under the banner of the NBR Reform Unity Council threatened to continue their protests until all of their demands are met.

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.

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.