Top business leaders have expressed strong opposition to the removal of the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), emphasizing that such an action would be undesirable and counterproductive.
Instead, they called for swift and meaningful dialogue with protesting NBR officials to resolve the ongoing crisis that has severely disrupted trade and business operations.
Speaking at an emergency press conference held Saturday afternoon at a city hotel, leaders from 13 of the country’s most prominent business organizations voiced support for reforms within the NBR to ensure a more efficient and harassment-free revenue system. However, they rejected calls for the NBR chairman’s ouster.
“We believe removing the chairman is not the solution,” said Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury, President of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries, as he read from a prepared statement. “We need an effective, transparent, and cooperative NBR, and that requires reform, not removal.”
The business community also urged the government to immediately initiate talks with the striking NBR employees, warning that continued disruptions would further damage the economy. “Our backs are against the wall,” said one business leader. “The ongoing protests are paralyzing trade and commerce.”
They called on the protesting NBR officials to withdraw their pen-down and shutdown programs unconditionally in the greater interest of the national economy.
At the same time, the government was urged to ensure fair and secure treatment of NBR employees going forward, to prevent further unrest.
In their joint statement, the business leaders highlighted the economic damage caused by the ongoing pen-down strike, including delays in customs clearance and import-export activities due to limited working hours at key offices. These delays, they said, are resulting in longer lead times, production bottlenecks, rising costs, and in some cases, the cancellation of export orders by foreign buyers.
Mahbubur Rahman, president of the International Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh, said, “Interaction between the government and the private sector is extremely important in any country, but currently, such dialogue and interaction with the interim government in Bangladesh is stagnant.”
Referring to export losses due to the shutdown, Syed Nasim Manzur, president of the Leather and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said, “Neither the local nor the international market will wait for Bangladesh. As far as we know, customs services do not shut down in any country except during war.”
“There are many honest officers at the NBR. They have the right to express concerns about what their future will be under the ongoing reforms. We want reform at the NBR. But the government must also consider what the future holds for its officers,” he told the press briefing.
The press conference was attended by several high-profile figures including Mahmud Hasan Khan, President of BGMEA; Shawkat Aziz Russell, president of BTMA; Kamran T. Rahman, President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Moinul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BCMEA), among others.