A major crisis has hit the National Board of Revenue (NBR), bringing all customs and tax processes to a halt. The NBR Reform Alliance has stopped clearing import and export taxes, which has brought about BDT 250 billion (about USD 2.4 billion) in daily trade to a standstill.
Business leaders from BGMIEA, BKMEA, BTMA, DCCI, MCCI, BCI, and ICC Bangladesh met at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka to say that the deadlock is hurting the economy a lot. They called for a quick resolution, citing the possibility of factories closing and goods going bad while stuck at ports and airports.
The protesters, who are mostly NBR officials and staff, want the NBR chairman to step down before they start talking. In response, a temporary five-member advisory committee was set up, with the Ministry of Power, Energy & Mineral Resources in charge, to deal with the crisis. At the same time, the government has declared all NBR and tax offices to be essential services and has threatened to take strong action if staff do not return to work.
On June 30, the end of the fiscal year, normal operations started up again for a short time as many employees returned to work. Customs and tax duties at major land and sea ports also started up again. Still, the need for reform and the chairman’s removal are still not clear.
