Customs, VAT and income tax officials across the country will observe a three-hour sit-in and pen-down programme on Monday, demanding logical reforms in the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

The protest will take place from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

The announcement came at a press conference held by the NBR Reform Unity Council on Saturday afternoon at the NBR headquarters in Dhaka’s Agargaon.

Speaking at the event, the council’s president and Additional Commissioner Hasan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar and General Secretary and Additional Tax Commissioner Ms. Sehela Siddiqua reiterated their demand for rational reforms within the revenue board.

The council claimed that the NBR Chairman should be removed immediately, alleging that his leadership has only delayed meaningful reforms. They previously declared the Chairman “persona non grata” at the NBR premises.

Criticising the recently formed NBR reform committee on June 19, the council demanded proper representation within the body.

The six-member committee, formed to amend revenue ordinances, comprises officials from the tax, customs, and VAT wings but excludes any representatives from the reform council.

Moreover, no consultation was held with the council beforehand, they said.

They also accused the NBR Chairman of making provocative remarks in various meetings that questioned the legitimacy and existence of the Reform Unity Council.

During today’s council meeting, a 301-member ad hoc committee was formed with Rikabdar as president and Siddiqua as general secretary.

The council condemned the denial of a room allocation for their planned seminar titled “What Kind of NBR Do We Want”, even after submitting a written request for a preparatory meeting last Thursday.

The government issued an ordinance on 12 May abolishing the NBR and the Internal Resources Division (IRD), replacing them with two new divisions: the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division. Since then, NBR officials under the Reform Unity Council have been staging various protest programmes.

On 26 May, the government announced that necessary amendments to the ordinance would be made through discussions by July 31. As part of that process, a new committee was formed earlier today.