Protesters now demand removal of NBR chairman by Thursday

Officials and employees protesting at the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have now demanded the removal of NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan by Thursday (29 May).

Accusing Abdur Rahman of playing hide and seek during the drafting of the ordinance to repeal NBR and his inability to play a proper role regarding this issue, NBR Reform Unity Council raised the demand today (26 May).

During a press briefing at NBR headquarters in the capital, the tax officers raised some other demands, including bringing about necessary amendments to the ordinance by 31 July and making the recommendations of the Revenue Reform Committee public.

"We will observe continuous non-cooperation with the NBR chairman due to the crises of trust and reliance that have been created," said NBR Deputy Commissioner Shahadat Jamil.

During the briefing, the protesters also demanded to appoint an interim chairman who will be adept at drafting tax and revenue policies, collecting and managing revenue, and full of real-life work experience.

Leaders of the council said the NBR chairman has played hide and seek during each step of the drafting of the ordinance.

Besides non-cooperation with NBR officials, Abdur Rahman also created barriers when it came to informing the government about the hopes and expectations of the NBR officials regarding a revenue structure for the future, they said.

Mentioning that all the tax, VAT and customs houses around the country resumed normal activities today, the council leaders said they will make up for the losses that were incurred during their strike by working additional hours.

Joint Commissioner of Taxes Monalisa Shahreen Sushmita and Second Secretary of NBR Roisun Nesa also spoke at the briefing, among others.

Earlier today, NBR resumed normal operations across the country, as all of its employees returned to work following government assurances to meet their four-point demand after a nearly two-week disruption that began on 14 May.

Last night, the finance ministry through a press release said that NBR will be elevated to the status of an independent and specialised department under it.

The government has issued further clarification to eliminate any ambiguity regarding its position on the Revenue Policy and Administration Reform Ordinance 2025.

It said that the structure of separating revenue policy from implementation—while safeguarding the interests of BCS (Customs and Excise) and BCS (Taxation) cadres—will be finalised through discussions with the NBR, the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee, and other key stakeholders.

This process will also focus on strengthening the NBR and establishing a specialised institution for revenue policy.

It also mentioned that all necessary amendments to the ordinance will be made by 31 July 2025, to ensure proper separation of revenue policy formulation and revenue administration.