The government has formed an inter-ministerial committee to assess the financial losses caused by the prolonged work stoppage of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) following its dissolution by an ordinance.
The nine-member committee, headed by Syed Rabiul Islam, joint secretary to the Internal Resource Division, has been directed to submit its report within 30 days.
Customs Branch-2 of the Internal Resource Division (IRD) under the Ministry of Finance has formed the committee, officials confirmed.
The committee includes representatives from the Finance Division, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Industries, Chittagong Port Authority, NBR, the BGMEA, FBCCI, and the IRD’s Administration Wing.
The crisis began on April 12 when the government issued an ordinance at midnight, dissolving the NBR and creating two new departments—Revenue Policy and Revenue Administration. This sudden move sparked a wave of protests from NBR employees, who began an indefinite strike, bringing revenue collection activities to a standstill.
Although the Finance Ministry revoked the ordinance on May 12, employees did not immediately return to work. They demanded the removal of NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan by May 29. When the demand was not met, NBR staff resumed their strike in June—the final month of the fiscal year—once again disrupting revenue collection and port operations nationwide.
As the standoff escalated, the government declared NBR operations as “essential services,” effectively banning the strike. The employees finally called off their movement on June 29.
With significant disruption to government revenue streams and economic activities, the newly formed committee will quantify the overall financial damage and report back within a month.