The protest by officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), which initially appeared to be a “harmless” movement, later evolved into an anti-government agitation, said Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan, Adviser to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, on Sunday.
Fauzul Kabir Khan, who also serves as the convener of the Advisory Council Committee formed to enhance the dynamism of trade, commerce, industry, ports, and revenue collection, made the remarks at a press conference held at the Secretariat.
Also present were Adilur Rahman Khan, Adviser to the Ministry of Industries and the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, and Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Water Resources.
Commenting on the NBR officials’ movement demanding the repeal of the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance, Fauzul Kabir Khan said, “It was a harmless movement at first. Later, it took the shape of an anti-government agitation. It was an effort aimed at causing economic damage and disrupting revenue collection.”
Quoting a report published in a newspaper, Fauzul Kabir said the report mentioned a WhatsApp group where an anti-government stance had developed in the name of the movement. “The government has shown immense patience,” he said. “Businesspeople have told us — why did you allow this movement to continue for so long? Why didn’t you stop it within 15 days? Efforts were repeatedly made to resolve the issue without resorting to repression, but those efforts failed.”
He added that the Advisory Council Committee has already held five meetings. “We met with members of the VAT Association, the Income Tax Association, NBR officials, the Reform Commission, and most recently, representatives from the business community. We will observe income tax, customs, and VAT activities at the field level,” he said.
The adviser further mentioned that officials from the Income Tax, VAT, and Customs associations mainly emphasized that the integrity of the NBR must be maintained. “They stated that cadre officers should be appointed in the two divisions — Revenue Policy and Revenue Implementation. They expressed regret and apologized. They no longer oppose the idea of splitting the divisions. The stance of the Reform Commission is also aligned with this,” he noted.
Fauzul Kabir added that the business community informed the government they had suffered significant losses due to the two-month-long movement. “They also stated they are regularly subjected to harassment by customs, income tax, and VAT officials. However, they have expressed full support for the government’s reform initiatives,” he said.
Regarding accountability, the adviser noted, “As you know, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is investigating allegations against some NBR officials. Disciplinary actions have already been taken against a few. Business leaders said they have no objections to this but requested the matter be handled with a bit more caution.”
The government formed the Advisory Council Committee on June 30 to accelerate activities related to business, industry, ports, and revenue collection. A gazette notification was issued by the Cabinet Division forming the committee.
The five-member committee also includes Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, Adviser to the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Labour and Employment; and Sheikh Bashiruddin, Adviser to the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.