Officials and employees of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have returned to work following a two-week suspension of services after receiving government assurances about fulfilling their four-point demands. Normal operations resumed on Monday.
An NBR official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated: “We have resumed work based on government assurances. We hope everything will proceed smoothly.”
The NBR Reform Unity Council initiated a work abstention on May 14, suspended on May 19 following the Chief Adviser’s directive for dialogue. However, they resumed full-day work stoppages starting Saturday.
Their demands included: withdrawal of the ordinance abolishing NBR, removal of the NBR chairman, public disclosure of the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee’s recommendations, and implementation of sustainable reforms through stakeholder consultations.
On May 21, a 13-member delegation from the Reform Unity Council met with Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed at the Finance Division. The meeting, also attended by Revenue Reform Advisory Committee members, three former NBR members, the Finance Secretary, and NBR Chairman, was later deemed “unsuccessful” by the council.
After declaring non-cooperation with the NBR Chairman on Wednesday, protesters staged sit-in programs across Dhaka and other locations on Thursday.
A Sunday night Finance Ministry notification clarified the government’s stance on the Revenue Policy and Administration Reform Ordinance, 2025, announcing NBR would be restructured as an independent, specialised department.
The notification specified that separate frameworks for revenue policy and implementation would be established, BCS (Customs & Excise) and BCS (Taxation) cadres’ interests would be protected through consultations, and the ordinance will not be enforced until amendments are finalised by July 31, 2025.
Following these assurances, the Reform Unity Council suspended protests, with officials returning to work Monday morning.