NBR Reform Unity Council on Wednesday rejected the Finance Adviser’s call for a dialogue aimed at resolving the ongoing crisis surrounding the proposed restructuring of the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
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Unity Council President and Additional Commissioner Hassan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar made the announcement at a press briefing on the premises of the NBR headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka.
In a written statement, Rikabdar said the government has yet to withdraw its plan to restructure the NBR and instead of establishing it as an autonomous and specialised department under the Ministry of Finance it is backtracking from earlier positions.
He further stated that as representatives of the NBR Reform Unity Council were not invited to the discussion scheduled for Thursday, no one from the Council would participate.
“We have not been given an opportunity to join the dialogue; therefore, our participation is not possible,” he said.
The Council reiterated its one-point demand—the immediate removal of the current NBR Chairman.
They alleged the Chairman is third on a list of 44 bureaucrats, six of whom have already been sent into compulsory retirement as they were involved in implementing the “agenda of the ousted fascist Awami League government.”
“We believe meaningful reforms of the revenue system must begin with the removal of the current NBR Chairman,” the statement declared.
The Council also announced a series of protest programmes.
A pen-down and sit-in demonstration will be observed on June 26 from 12pm to 5pm across NBR offices, excluding services related to international passengers and exports.
They further warned that if the NBR Chairman is not removed by June 27, a non-stop, indefinite work stoppage will begin from June 28 in all offices under the Tax, Customs, and VAT departments. International passenger services will remain outside the purview of the shutdown.
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Beginning June 28, the Council plans to launch a "March to NBR" campaign from tax offices across the country, demanding cancellation of the restructuring plan and sustainable reforms.
The statement also issued a stern warning against any retaliatory action. “If any officer or employee—regardless of rank—is subjected to forced retirement, transfer, demotion, or any punitive measure for participating in the Council’s programmes, thousands of staff members in the Tax, Customs, and VAT departments will collectively resist,” it said.