United News of Bangladesh

Members of the army and police were deployed in front of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) headquarters in the capital on Saturday morning amid escalating tensions over ongoing protests by NBR officials. Witnesses said security personnel were seen stationed on the NBR premises in the morning. “So far, we have learned from police that forces have been deployed as per the instruction of the Home Affairs Adviser,” an NBR official told UNB. “Today, the NBR chairman is scheduled to be here as government, semi-government, banks, schools and colleges are open per the directives of the government. To avoid an unpleasant situation the army and police forces have been deployed,” he said. The NBR Reform Unity Council on Wednesday announced a series of fresh programmes, including continuous non-cooperation with the NBR chairman, to press home their demands. As part of their scheduled programme, the officials of NBR were seen gathered in the building with placards.  Anti-split NBR protest gets boost from a platform of BCS officers A sit-in programme staged at NBR and its respective offices in and outside Dhaka on Thursday, said a statement. But export and international passenger services will be exempted from this. A complete strike will be observed in all offices of the Tax, Customs and VAT Department, except Customs House and LC Stations, on May 24 and May 25. The strike will be observed from 9 am to 5 pm at Customs House and LC Stations on these two days. But, export and international passenger services will be exempted from the strike. A complete strike will be observed in all the offices of the Tax, Customs and VAT Department, except International Passenger Services, from May 26. The Unity on Wednesday included a new demand with their old three ones, which is immediate removal of NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman. The old demands are: the issued ordinance should be immediately repealed, recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Revenue Reform should be published on the website for the public and After discussing and reviewing the draft proposed by the NBR and the recommendations of the Advisory Committee, appropriate and sustainable revenue system reforms should be ensured with the opinions of all stakeholders, including aspiring organisations, business organisations, civil society and political leadership.  NBR Reform Unity Council launches non-cooperation programme Meanwhile, the process of forming an ad hoc committee of the NBR Reform Unity Council, comprising officials and employees from all levels of the Customs, VAT and Tax Departments of the NBR, has almost been finalised.

The NBR Reform Unity Council on Wednesday announced a series of fresh programmes, including continuous non-cooperation with the NBR chairman, to press home their demands. Beginning today (Wednesday), the Council will continue its non-cooperation with the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), said a press statement issued by the Unity. The statement also mentioned that a memorandum outlining their demands will be submitted to the Chief Adviser on Thursday. On Thursday, a sit-in programme will be staged at NBR and its respective offices in and outside Dhaka. But export and international passenger services will be exempted from this. A complete strike will be observed in all offices of the Tax, Customs and VAT Department, except Customs House and LC Stations, on May 24 and May 25. The strike will be observed from 9 am to 5 pm at Customs House and LC Stations on these two days. But, export and international passenger services will be exempted from the strike. A complete strike will be observed in all the offices of the Tax, Customs and VAT Department, except International Passenger Services, from May 26. The Unity today included a new demand with their old three ones, which is immediate removal of NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman. The old demands are: The issued ordinance should be immediately repealed, recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Revenue Reform should be published on the website for the public and After discussing and reviewing the draft proposed by the NBR and the recommendations of the Advisory Committee, appropriate and sustainable revenue system reforms should be ensured with the opinions of all stakeholders, including aspiring organisations, business organisations, civil society and political leadership. In the statement, the Unity mentioned that one thing has been apparent to them from the beginning that the NBR Chairman has not provided accurate information to the government policymakers regarding the scope and rationality of our systematic program. “Instead, he has concealed the information, which has brought the situation to its current state,” it said. Meanwhile, the process of forming an ad hoc committee of the NBR Reform Unity Council, comprising officials and employees from all levels of the Customs, VAT and Tax Departments of the NBR, has almost been finalised. The initial list of members of the ad hoc committee for grade-10 and above will be published tomorrow (Thursday). Then, the initial list of members from grade-11 to grade-20 will also be published sequentially. NBR  staff  continue work abstention for day 3

The Retired Tax Officers’ Welfare Association has voiced grave concern over mounting unrest and dissatisfaction among officials and employees of the Income Tax, Customs, and VAT departments centering the ongoing reforms within the National Board of Revenue (NBR). In a press statement, the association warned that the situation, if not addressed promptly, could pose a serious threat to the country’s revenue collection system and overall economic stability. The Association strongly criticised attempts by what it termed a “vested interest group” to derail reform proposals made by the Revenue Reform Committee, headed by Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus. It said such obstruction driven by narrow group interests has led to a deadlock in revenue administration, which is detrimental to the national economy. At a time when the Chief Adviser is striving to revitalize a stagnant and debt-ridden economy through dynamic leadership and a comprehensive reform program, these conspiratorial activities within the revenue administration cannot be taken lightly, the statement said. The association reaffirmed its confidence in the dedication and integrity of the cadre officers and employees serving in the tax, customs, and VAT departments. NBR mulls developing a central app to boost VAT revenue However, it noted that ongoing attempts to undermine their rights and marginalise their roles in the reform process have made it impossible for them to remain silent. Stressing that all revenue-related policies and operations must be handled by experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable revenue officials, the association said this is essential in the greater interest of the nation. Referring to practices in developed countries, it pointed out how tax policies and their implementation are overseen by expert professionals and urged the government to follow suit. It called upon the government to urgently resolve the ongoing unrest in the revenue administration by accepting the just demands of the BCS (Taxation) Association and BCS (Customs, Excise and VAT) Association.