Export and import activities through ports and revenue collection across the country came to a halt on Sunday due to the 鈥榗omplete shutdown鈥� and 鈥楳arch to the NBR鈥� programmes enforced by National Board of Revenue staff for the second consecutive day, demanding the removal of the NBR chairman.
Amid the situation, the interim government on the day said that it had decided to declare services under the NBR, particularly those at customs houses, inland container depots, bond commissionerates and customs stations, as 鈥榚ssential services鈥� for the country鈥檚 economic interests.
An expert said that such a decision might bar the NBR employees from taking part in any kind of work abstention.
Later on the day, the protesting NBR staff under the NBR Reforms Unity Council withdrew their protest programmes after a series of meetings at different levels between the government and the businesses.
鈥楾he NBR Reforms Unity Council has withdrawn its 鈥渃omplete shutdown鈥� programme following negotiations between the country鈥檚 business leaders and the government, which gave some positive indications,鈥� said the council鈥檚 president, Hasan Mohammad Tarek Rikabder, at a press conference held at the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries office at Tejgaon in the capital Dhaka Sunday evening.
The council also welcomed the government-formed five-member committee on the revenue sector reform.
The interim government on Sunday formed the five-member cabinet committee headed by power, energy and mineral resources ministry adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan to look after the ongoing revenue reform programme.
According to a statement shared by Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief adviser of the interim government on Sunday, the government urged all NBR staff to return to their duties immediately and refrain from any unlawful, disruptive actions that threaten the nation鈥檚 economy.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission on Sunday initiated an inquiry into allegations of amassing illegal wealth against six NBR officials, including Hasan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar.
The Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952 and the Essential Services (Second) Ordinance, 1958 enable the government to declare certain services as essential, thereby restricting employee actions such as strikes and layoffs in those sectors.
From Saturday, the protesting tax employees under the NBR Reform Unity Council observed the 鈥榗omplete shutdown鈥� and 鈥楳arch to the NBR鈥� at all NBR offices across the country, demanding the removal of the NBR chairman Abdur Rahman Khan.
Before Saturday, the protesting employees had been observing a five-hour pen-down programme since June 23 under their fresh protest programme following a series of protests against the government move to split the NBR into two divisions since April 29.
However, the international passenger services were out of the purview of the shutdown and the earlier protest programmes.
Firoz Mia, a former additional secretary of the public administration ministry, said that the essential services decision might not allow the NBR employees to take part in any kind of work abstention.
The violation of the order would be treated as criminal offences, he said.
The government statement said that unprecedented disruption happened due to the protests over the past two months, which severely affected business activities, import and export operations, and the overall revenue collection in the final two months of the 2024-25 financial year which will end today.
鈥業f non-compliance continues, the government would take strict measures to protect the rights of citizens and the stability of the national economy,鈥� the statement added.
The statement described the movement as 鈥榩re-planned and ill-motivated,鈥� saying that it was a direct affront to national interests and citizens鈥� rights.
Due to the shutdown, activities at all customs houses, including those at the Chattogram port and Dhaka airport, as well as the collection services for value-added tax and income tax across the country, came to a halt on Sunday.
On the second day of the 鈥榗omplete shutdown鈥�, the protesting employees began their programme at the NBR headquarters at Agargaon in the capital Dhaka at about 9:00am, despite a heavy deployment of police, RAB and BGB personnel in the area.
Due to the shutdown, activities at the Chattogram port were disrupted, according to the 抖阴精品 Chattogram staff correspondent.
The protests severely hampered customs operations and cargo clearance processes, resulting in a large number of container-laden trucks being stranded outside the port gates and congestion in the jetty yards.
SM Saiful Alam, president of the C&F Agents Association, told 抖阴精品 that from customs clearance to delivery, every activity at the port required customs approval. With the customs service shut down, the entire port operation was affected.
Nasir Uddin, chief personnel officer of the Chattogram Port Authority, acknowledged the growing crisis, saying, 鈥榃hile loading and unloading at jetties are continuing, delays are being felt in clearance-related procedures. Cargoes are piling up in the yards.鈥�
Import and export activities at the Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Sunday due to the shutdown, according to the 抖阴精品 Rajshahi staff correspondent.
Tipu Sultan, public relations officer of Panama Port Link Ltd, the company that operates the land port, said that import and export activities had come to a complete standstill due to the strike, as no trucks had entered Bangladesh from India since Saturday.
At noon on Sunday, Mirza Ashik Rana, senior vice-president of the NBR Reforms Unity Council, announced that they would hold a meeting with finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Sunday afternoon.
However, the finance adviser told journalists on the same day that the meeting would not take place.
Apart from Hasan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar, also additional commissioner at the Audit, Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, VAT, Dhaka, the Anti-Corruption Commission initiated probes against NBR Reforms Unity Council senior vice-president Mirza Ashiq Rana, also additional tax commissioner, Tax Zone-8, Dhaka, and its vice-president Mohammad Morshed Uddin Khan, also joint tax commissioner, BCS Tax Academy, AKM Badiul Alam, member (income tax policy), Mirza Ashiq Rana, additional tax commissioner, Tax Zone-8, Dhaka,聽 Monalisa Shahrin Sushmita, deputy tax commissioner, Tax Zone-16, Dhaka, Sadhan Kumar Kundu, additional commissioner, Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Dhaka (South).
On June 27, the NBR instructed all its officials and employees to report to their respective offices, warning that any non-compliance would be considered a breach of discipline and punishable offence.
On the same day, the finance ministry issued a press release, saying that the government would hold a meeting on July 1 with representatives of the protesting NBR staff, the government-formed advisory committee on reforms, and the NBR members to review the ordinance that split the revenue board into Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division.
The interim government on May 12 promulgated the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance 2025 by dissolving the revenue board and splitting it into the two divisions under the finance ministry to modernise the tax administration and boost revenue collection.
Since the issuance of the ordinance, the NBR employees held a series of sit-ins, pen-down strikes, and non-cooperation with the NBR chairman in May and June, protesting against the government鈥檚 move.
