In a major administrative reshuffle at the National Board of Revenue, the authorities on Monday suspended nine more tax officials and transferred 131 others to its different offices.
With the latest order, 32 NBR officials were suspended in the aftermath of tax officials鈥� protests against the restructuring of the revenue board and other issues in June.
Following the month-long protests that ended on June 29, four senior tax officials were also sent into early retirement and 16 officials were brought under the Anti-Corruption Commission scrutiny.
The suspended officials have been made 鈥榦fficers on special duty鈥�.
The NBR officials faced disciplinary action allegedly for opposing the Revenue Policy and Management Ordinance, 2025, issued on May 12, and obstructing officials of NBR鈥檚 customs, value-added tax and income tax wings from performing their official duties.
Regarding the suspension, the Internal Resources Division on Monday issued nine separate notifications, signed by NBR chairman Abdur Rahman Khan, also the secretary of the division.
鈥楾hey also played an active role in forcing staff to refrain from work and gather at the Revenue Building, disrupting import and export activities,鈥� the notification stated.
In a separate notification, signed by Mosaddek Hossain, first secretary (tax administration) of the NBR, the revenue board reshuffled the 131 officials at the NBR offices across the country.
The suspended officials are Md Sanowarul Kabir, joint commissioner of the Customs, Excise and VAT Training Academy in Chattogram, Abul Ala Mohammad Aminul Islam Khan, additional commissioner at the Mongla customs house, Sadhan Kumar Kundu, additional commissioner at the Sylhet customs, excise and VAT commissionerate, and Mohammad Saidul Islam, deputy commissioner at the Khulna customs, excise and VAT commissionerate.
Chand Sultana Chowdhurany, director of the Central Intelligence Cell, Md Mamun Miah, joint commissioner of tax for the Dinajpur tax region, Md Mesbah Uddin Khan, joint commissioner of tax for the Tangail tax region, Sultana Habib, additional commissioner of tax for the Dhaka tax zone-7, and Sohela Siddiqa, additional commissioner of tax at the Income Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit, Dhaka, were also suspended.
Earlier on July 17, the NBR suspended its nine officials at different offices in Dhaka, seven for allegedly defying directives from higher authorities and disobeying transfer orders, one for disclosing confidential state documents, and another one for 鈥榓busive conversation on WhatsApp about the NBR chairman鈥�.
On July 15, it suspended 14 senior NBR officials at various tax commissionerates and zones across the country for allegedly defying directives from higher authorities and disobeying transfer orders.
The suspension of the officials throughout July spread shock and panic among NBR officials, as they had been in a state of unease since June 29, when their protests ended.
The suspended officials were mainly the frontrunners of the tax officials鈥� protests under the NBR Reform Unity Council, which opposed the splitting of the revenue board.
After the end of the protests, hundreds of NBR officials sought an apology from the NBR chairman in phases.
NBR officials had held protest programmes against the restructuring of the revenue board, and their protests intensified after the interim government introduced the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance 2025 bifurcating the revenue board into the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Administration Division.
The splitting led to protests, including pen-down strikes, sit-ins and non-cooperation, for nearly one and a half months.
On May 25, the government announced plans to amend the ordinance by July 31.
The protesting NBR officials conducted a march to the NBR and a 鈥榗omplete shutdown鈥� in June 28-29, disrupting business and revenue collection.
In response, the interim government declared NBR services 鈥榚ssential鈥� on June 29, leading to the withdrawal of the officials鈥� protests.
On August 14, adviser to the ministry of power, energy, and mineral resources Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, who is leading the ordinance amending initiative, said that the amended ordinance was likely to be issued this week.
