| Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday, May 20, firmly said the National Board of Revenue (NBR) will continue operating as two distinct entities—tax and customs—clarifying that all previous confusion over the separation has now been resolved following discussions with cadre officials.
“Officials have been informed that the decision to split the NBR—based on national interest, public interest and business considerations—will stand as it is,” he said after a meeting with the cadre officials at the Secretariat.
Dr Salehuddin said there are still several implementation steps ahead, when the government will consider how many of the officials’ demands can be accommodated.
Concerns of the officials will be considered during the formulation of regulations for the two newly formed departments, he said, adding, “We will try to incorporate their demands as much as possible while drafting the new rules.”
Dr Salehuddin, however, said there will be no further formal meetings with NBR officials regarding this issue. “There is already an advisory committee in place. Officials will communicate with that committee moving forward,” he said.
When asked whether today’s meeting was fruitful, Dr Salehuddin replied, “Yes, the meeting was productive.”
On the question of when the newly separated departments of the NBR will begin operations, he responded, “First, a gazette notification must be issued. Even before that, there is a lot of groundwork to complete.”
When asked how long the full implementation would take, Dr Salehuddin said, “We are trying to move as quickly as possible.”
Regarding whether this would be completed before or after the budget, he commented, “The budget will be presented on June 2. How could we do this before that?”
In response to whether NBR officials are satisfied with today’s meeting and whether they will end their protest, Dr Salehuddin said, “We have told them to withdraw their movement. Whether they do or not is not my concern.”
When approached for comment, NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan said, “The Finance Adviser and other advisers have listened to the concerns voiced by the officials. The ministry will now take further action.”
The meeting was attended by Energy Dr Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, Environment and Forest Adviser Syeda Rezwan Hasan and senior officials from the Ministry of Finance and the NBR.
On May 12, a government notification was issued, officially dividing the NBR into two departments: Revenue Policy and Revenue Administration.
NBR officials strongly protested the move, claiming that officers from the tax and customs cadres have been sidelined and subjected to undue control under the new structure.
In response, many officials engaged in the recent pen-down strike.
Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry in a press release said representatives from the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee of the National Board of Revenue, BCS (Tax) cadre, and BCS (Customs and Excise) cadre presented their views and opinions at the meeting regarding the ‘Revenue Policy and Revenue Administration Ordinance, 2025’.
The concerns, suggestions and opinions expressed by the officials regarding the ordinance were heard with due importance.
The Adviser assured that the issues raised would be duly considered, the media release added.
Source: UNB
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