NBR division driven by ‘hatred’ could spell disaster, warns advisory committee member

Farid Uddin, a member of the advisory committee for the NBR split ordinance, expressed concerns that the recommendations in the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance were not adequately reflected in the piece of legislation issued by the government.

On Saturday, he warned that if the National Board of Revenue (NBR) were divided into two parts due to “hatred” or errors stemming from the ordinance, it would create a “disastrous” situation for the nation.

At a roundtable on NBR reforms held in Gulshan, he spoke on the issue.

Farid Uddin said, “We introduced the concept of dividing the revenue policy and revenue management. However, the actual implementation of our recommendations, as I personally feel, did not align with our vision.”

He added, “I have told the government that if this is done out of hatred or by mistake, it will create a catastrophic situation for the nation.”

On May 12, the government issued the ordinance dissolving the NBR, replacing it with the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance, 2025. Following this, NBR employees launched protests, including work stoppages and sit-ins.

Their primary demand was to prevent the appointment of secretaries from the administration cadre to leadership positions and instead appoint experienced officers from the BCS Taxation and BCS Customs and Excise cadres. Due to the mounting pressure, the government withdrew the ordinance, announcing amendments.

The revised ordinance now includes provisions for appointing experienced government employees to leadership roles in the newly formed Revenue Policy and Revenue Management departments.

The government proposed 11 changes in the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025.

When asked which of the advisory committee’s recommendations were left out of the ordinance, Farid Uddin presented a document, promising to share it with attendees.