- Dhaka
NBR Officials Call Off Strike as Government Softens Stance
Officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) called off their planned shutdown yesterday evening after the government pledged to transform the board into a “specialised and autonomous agency” instead of dissolving it.
The officials, who had been protesting under the banner of the NBR Reform Unity Council, had earlier threatened to suspend all operations from today unless their four-point demand was met.
In a statement issued last night, the protesting officials welcomed the government's latest commitment. The announcement came after more than a week of demonstrations that severely disrupted revenue operations across the country.
With the strike withdrawn, NBR officials will now return to work. In their media statement, they said they would work beyond scheduled office hours to clear the backlog that had built up since their demonstrations began on May 14.
Amid growing pressure, the Finance Ministry announced yesterday that the government would move toward establishing a specialised revenue agency, while safeguarding the interests of officials from the customs, excise, and income tax departments.
This decision marks a significant shift in the government's position, coming just days after it first signaled its willingness to amend the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance.
Protesting officials had argued that the ordinance, enacted on May 12, would essentially dissolve the NBR and threaten their job security.
Their demonstrations had already caused widespread service disruptions, including customs clearance delays at key ports and interruptions in tax-related services nationwide.
In its latest statement, the finance ministry said that the final institutional framework would be developed through consultations with the NBR, the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee, and other stakeholders. Amendments to the ordinance are expected by July 31, and until then, the law will not be enforced.
The ministry expressed hope that the announcement would help ease tensions within the NBR and encourage staff to resume their duties and focus on revenue collection.
Customs, VAT, and tax officials had observed work stoppages for several days, resulting in significant backlogs at Chattogram Port, which handles about 90 percent of Bangladesh’s international trade.
As of yesterday, 17 container ships carrying around 500,000 tonnes of goods were waiting at the outer anchorage due to slow customs clearance.
Although export processing was exempted from the work stoppage, customs officers had refrained from inspecting imports and issuing clearances between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM over the past two days.
Before that, NBR officials held a daily five-hour strike from May 14 to May 19.
The protests also disrupted operations in field offices, delaying services for taxpayers. “Tax dispute hearings are not being held due to the work abstention,” a senior official at a private company noted.
Exporters also reported knock-on effects. Syed M Tanveer, Managing Director of Pacific Jeans, said delays in clearing imported raw materials were slowing production.
“Several export shipments must be sent before Eid. If they’re delayed, we will face significant losses,” Tanveer said. He added that resorting to air freight might be necessary, which could increase transportation costs by 15 to 20 times.
According to Chattogram Port data, around 4,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of import containers piled up in the five days leading up to May 19. The total container storage at the port rose to 44,000 TEUs, exceeding the optimal level of 35,000, though still within the maximum capacity of 53,518 TEUs.
Since customs officers resumed work on May 19, the situation has gradually started to improve.
Muntasir Rubayat, a director of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association, said while export documentation had resumed, customs officers at port gates were still not signing off on import container exits.
As a result, trucks (prime movers) transporting containers to inland container depots (ICDs) were stranded at the port, causing delays in export shipments from ICDs.
Ruhul Amin Sikder, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), expressed concern that if delivery operations did not return to full capacity soon, an acute backlog could occur during the upcoming Eid holidays.
The disruption also affected the readymade garment sector. Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, former first vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said that delays in clearing imported accessories brought in under back-to-back LCs could hamper production in garment factories.
In their media release last night, the NBR Reform Unity Council reaffirmed that they would work beyond scheduled hours to clear the backlog and restore normalcy to revenue operations.
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