Financial Advisor Dr. Saleh Uddin Ahmed has confirmed that the National Board of Revenue (NBR) will not be split into two separate entities as previously rumored. “The NBR will continue to operate as a single body. The misunderstanding regarding its division has now been cleared up,” he said following a high-level meeting.
The statement came after discussions with officials from the tax and customs cadres at the Secretariat on Tuesday (May 20), amid rising concerns over a recent government notification.
On May 12, a circular had announced plans to divide the NBR into two units—Revenue Policy and Revenue Management. This move sparked backlash from NBR officials, who claimed the reorganization marginalized tax and customs officers, limiting their authority and undermining their roles.
In protest, NBR employees initiated a pen-down strike, demanding a rollback of the decision.
Commenting on the matter, NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan stated, “The financial advisor and other government advisors have listened to the concerns of the officials. Now it’s up to the ministry to take the next steps.” Another official mentioned that a press release from NBR would soon clarify the situation officially.
The meeting was also attended by Energy Advisor Fawzul Kabir Khan, Forest and Environment Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hassan, as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Finance and NBR.
As tensions ease, all eyes are now on the Finance Ministry’s final decision and the expected press release to officially resolve the issue and restore normalcy within the revenue agency.
