Advisory Council may address unrest regarding division of NBR
The government is set to pass the national budget for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year on Sunday (22 June), with a gazette notification expected later in the day.
Given the absence of the national parliament, the Advisory Council is expected to approve the proposed budget in a meeting in the morning, finance ministry official told The Business Standard today (21 June).
“The Advisory Council meeting will begin at 10am on Sunday at the Chief Adviser’s office. Following its approval, the budget will be passed with the president’s endorsement and a gazette notification issued on the same day,” the official said.
The Advisory Council may also address the ongoing unrest among National Board of Revenue (NBR) officials regarding the division of the NBR.
Finance ministry officials said the Advisory Council will discuss measures to resolve the discontent that arose between the BCS (Customs and Excise) and BCS (Tax) cadres after the NBR division ordinance was gazetted on 12 May. Decisions regarding necessary amendments to the ordinance may also be made during the meeting.
Since the issuance of the NBR division ordinance, officials from both cadres have been protesting, citing grievances. They had observed an indefinite work abstention, and despite meetings with the finance adviser and other government advisers, the situation did not normalise.
To resolve the stalemate in customs and tax offices, the finance ministry issued an explanation on 25 May, stating that the NBR would be strengthened while preserving the interests of both BCS (Customs and Excise) and BCS (Tax) cadres. It further announced that all necessary amendments to the gazetted ordinance would be introduced by 31 July.
Additionally, the finance ministry stated that the framework for separating revenue policy through the formation of a specialised institution would be finalised in consultation with the NBR, the Revenue Reform Advisory Committee, and stakeholders.
Following the announcement, NBR officials suspended their protests. However, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali issued a public notice yesterday, prohibiting meetings and rallies in the Agargaon area, including the NBR office and its vicinity, starting from today.
