NBR officials shaken by govt’s recent moves to quell internal unrest

“How would it be an easy situation in the NBR while there are so many things happening in the NBR within this short time?” a senior official of the NBR told UNB.

The official who joined the recent movement, preferring anonymity, said that resentment is brewing among the NBR officials and it might take a serious turn.

The NBR Reform Unity Council had been demonstrating with a series of protest programmes demanding structural reforms and the removal of the NBR Chairman citing allegations of administrative irregularities, officer intimidation, and obstruction of reform efforts.

Since early June the agitating officials held a complete shutdown, marches, work abstentions, hunger strikes, and human chains, disrupting services in tax, VAT and customs offices across the country.

The protests began after the government issued an ordinance on May 12 dissolving the NBR and the Internal Resources Division, replacing them with the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division, with scope to inject Admin Cadre officials in these two divisions.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) Reform Unity Council on Sunday withdrew its ‘complete shutdown’ and ‘march for NBR’ programme, after a group of leading business people emerged as a bridge between the government and them. 

The government has also formed a five-member adviser-level committee to suggest ways to resolve the stalemate centring the reforms in NBR and they held a meeting with the NBR officials on Thursday. The NBR officials were asked to submit their proposals within the next two weeks.

The situation seemed to be normal as Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed asked the NBR officials to start their works “without fear and favour” and NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan requested all to work for the country “forgetting past disputes”.

But Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday launched a probe against six senior officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) on charges of corruption, abuse of power and nepotism in facilitating illegal benefits for individuals and institutions over the past two decades.

The six officials under investigation are: AKM Badiul Alam, Member (Income Tax Policy); Mirza Ashiq Rana, Additional Tax Commissioner, Tax Zone-8, Dhaka; Mohammad Morshed Uddin Khan, Joint Tax Commissioner, BCS Tax Academy; Monalisa Shahreen Sushmita, Deputy Tax Commissioner, Tax Zone-16, Dhaka; Hasan Tarek Rikabdar, Additional Commissioner, Audit, Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, VAT, Dhaka; and Sadhan Kumar Kundu, Additional Commissioner, Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Dhaka (South).

Among them, Hasan Tarek serves as the president of the NBR Reform Unity Council and others joined the movement in different categories.

The ACC again on Tuesday launched formal investigation against five more senior officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) over allegations of amassing illegal wealth, abuse of power, and favouritism.

The officials facing the probe are Abdul Rashid Miah, Additional Commissioner, Large Taxpayers Unit (VAT); Md Lutfur Azim, Member; Md Alamgir Hossain, former Additional Director General, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID); Md Shihabul Islam, Deputy Tax Commissioner, Tax Zone-16, Dhaka; and Md Tarek Hasan, Joint Commissioner. 

That is not all. The government on Wednesday sent three NBR members, who were the top most officials of the cadre, into early retirement. According to the Internal Resources Division  website, all of them were sent to forced retirement for the sake of public interest.

They are-- Hossain Ahmed (customs policy and ICT), Md Alamgir Hossain and Md Abdur Rouf (VAT policy).

The IRD also sent Md. Sobbir Ahmed, (Commissoner of Taxes Zone- Barishal) and M Moinul Erfan (joint director general of Tax inspection directorate) into early retirement.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has suspended Commissioner (in-charge) of Chattogram Custom House Md Zakir Hossain for allegedly disobeying official instructions that resulted in disruption of trade activities and significant revenue losses.

According to an NBR circular issued on Monday (July 1), Zakir Hossain violated a prior directive dated June 18, 2025, which ordered all revenue-related offices, including Customs, VAT and Income Tax departments, to remain open on June 21 and June 28 (both Saturdays) to boost revenue collection.

Despite this instruction, the Chattogram Custom House remained closed on June 28 (Saturday) and June 29 (Sunday), causing disruptions in import and export activities, and subsequent financial losses to the government. Citing this breach, the NBR has suspended him.

Revenue collection activities across the country have come to a near-complete halt due to an unprecedented shutdown of offices under the National Board of Revenue (NBR), triggered by protests and non-cooperation from officials to press home their demands. 

On June 28 and 29, key NBR wings, including Customs, VAT and Income Tax, remained virtually inoperative due to the 'complete shutdown' programme and 'march for NBR' programme.

The officials, under the banner of NBR Reform Unity Council, had called the protest programmes, demanding the immediate removal of its chairman.

The NBR Reform Unity Council had been demonstrating with a series of protest programmes demanding structural reforms and the removal of the NBR chairman citing allegations of administrative irregularities, officer intimidation and obstruction of pro-reform efforts.

A former commissioner of the NBR who retired a couple of years back, said that those who have been given forced retirement were most sincere and hundred percent honest.

“All of them were clean imaged officers, they were in policy wing as they were capable, honest and skilled,” he said, seeking anonymity.

But he failed to explain why these officers were sent for early retirement and what is the logic behind such an act of the NBR.

“This creates serious resentment among the other officials as far as I know,” he added.

He mentioned that these officers were in the forefront and they were not accepting the ongoing irregularities and anomalies in the NBR, reports UNB.