NBR protesters announce indefinite halt to nearly all import-export activity from tomorrow

May 25, 2025, 7:25 pm

Staff Correspondent

The protesting officers and employees of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have announced will launch a full-fledged strike in all offices of the Tax, Customs and VAT Department from tomorrow (26 May), 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 (25 May).

They made the announcement after their full-fledged nationwide strike to press home their demands ended for the second day today. The strike started at all offices of Income Tax, Customs and VAT offices at 9am and continued till 5pm, keeping the Customs Houses and LC Stations out of its purview.

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.