The Finance Ministry announced on Sunday that the National Board of Revenue (NBR) will be upgraded to an independent and specialised department under its purview.
This clarification comes in response to recent statements by the NBR Reform Unity Council, with the ministry issuing a press release to remove any confusion regarding the Revenue Policy and Administration Reform Ordinance, 2025.
The release stated that the proposed separation of revenue policy from implementation will be finalised after consultations with NBR, the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee, and other stakeholders — while protecting the interests of BCS (Customs & Excise) and BCS (Taxation) cadres. The restructuring aims to strengthen NBR while establishing a specialised institution for revenue policy formulation.
All necessary amendments to the ordinance will be completed by July 31, ensuring proper delineation between policy-making and administrative functions. The ministry emphasised that the ordinance will not be implemented until these amendments are finalised.
Expressing hope that this clarification would address officials’ concerns across tax, customs, and VAT departments, the ministry urged all revenue offices to continue their duties with full commitment to revenue collection and taxpayer services.
Earlier, services of National Board of Revenue (NBR) had come to a standstill as officials and staff began a strike on Sunday morning in protest of the government’s recent ordinance to dissolve the NBR.
On May 12, the government issued an ordinance dissolving the NBR and the Internal Resources Division, creating two new departments: the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Administration Division. Since then, NBR employees have been protesting.
