BM Desk :The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has abruptly moved five of its deputy tax commissioners. They have all been instructed to start working at their new positions by Tuesday. On Sunday, June 22, the NBR issued an office order in this regard.

The remaining two officers were in command of the tax areas of Dhaka and Comilla, while the other two were in control of the Income Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit and the NBR head office. Many people view this transfer as a deliberate action rather than a natural element of the administrative process, especially in light of the ongoing NBR reform movement.

Shah Mohammad Fazle Elahi, Deputy Tax Commissioner, was moved from the NBR’s Income Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit to the Mymensingh tax district, according to the order. His appointment as the Central Intelligence Cell’s (CIC) Deputy Director has also been revoked.
Md. Abdullah Yusuf was moved from the NBR headquarters to the Bogra Tax Zone, and Excise Commissioner Muhammad Shihabul Islam was moved from Dhaka’s Tax Zone-16 to Khulna Tax Zone.

Additionally, Deputy Tax Commissioner Nushrat Jahan Shomi of Comilla Tax Zone was moved to Rangpur Tax Zone, while Deputy Tax Commissioner Imam Touhid Hasan Shakil of the Income Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit was moved to Comilla Tax Zone.

According to the directive, these reassigned personnel must vacate their existing workplace by Monday and report to the new office by Tuesday. If not, their responsibilities will be automatically reassigned starting Monday at noon.

When questioned about this, a dissident official who wished to remain anonymous claimed that the transfer is not a typical administrative procedure but rather the result of a carefully thought-out plot to undermine the forces supporting the continuing revenue reform effort.
The NBR Reform Unity Council, meantime, has called for a three-hour sit-in and pen strike program today, Monday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., on two demands, one of which is the dismissal of the NBR Chairman. The show will be held in all NBR offices in and outside Dhaka today.

The government passed an order on May 12 splitting the NBR into two departments: Policy and Revenue Management. Since then, NBR staff members and officials have been calling for the repeal of this rule through a variety of actions, including as pen strikes, under the auspices of the Unity Council. The Finance Ministry promised to have talks with NBR executives and staff to execute the ordinance in response to their objection.

Following that, the demonstrators persisted in calling for the NBR Chairman’s resignation and labeled him “undesirable” within the organization. The NBR Chairman is remains distant from the authorities and staff, despite the fact that he has resumed his regular duties.