NBR chairman arrives at office with Army escorts

The chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) arrived at his office under the guard of army personnel on Sunday, the first working day after a platform of NBR officers declared him persona non grata.

Sources said Md Abdur Rahman Khan reached his office at the Rajshwa Bhaban around 4pm escorted by a team of army personnel led by East Bengal Regiment Major Fuad Al Islam.  

The NBR Reform Unity Council, a platform for officers opposed to government's planned changes in the revenue board, on 29 May declared him persona non grata at the NBR headquarters.

The council claimed that the chairman has posed a serious threat to the integrity of ongoing reform initiatives.

It accused him of obstructing the implementation of their legitimate demands, engaging in process manipulation, and advancing an agenda that could undermine the fundamental structure of the revenue administration.

On 12 May, an ordinance was promulgated abolishing the NBR and creating two separate entities – the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division – to, what the government says, ensure the independence of revenue policy and management amid strong opposition from officers of the revenue board.

The officials argue that instead of ensuring the independence of revenue policy and management, the ordinance effectively transfers the authority and power of the NBR to officials of the administration cadre.