Bangladesh’s interim government’s order to overhaul the powerful National Board of Revenue (NBR) has triggered widespread outrage among its workers, from rank-and-file employees to senior management. The estimated lost tax revenues due to the protests is between $122-163 million
read more
Bangladeshi security forces surrounded the headquarters of the country’s national tax authority Sunday (May 25) as employees extended a two-week strike protesting controversial reforms by the interim government, reportedly costing millions in uncollected taxes every day.
The government’s order to overhaul the powerful National Board of Revenue (NBR) has triggered widespread outrage among its workers, from rank-and-file employees to senior management.
“Tax, customs, and VAT – all three wings will observe a complete work abstention from Monday,” Joint Tax Commissioner Monalisa Saha Sushmita told journalists outside the NBR headquarters in Dhaka, where police and armed personnel had gathered.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Bangladesh has been embroiled in turmoil since student-led protests ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, ending her 15-year tenure. The interim administration, headed by Nobel laureate and microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus, has pursued extensive government reforms aimed at curbing corruption and inefficiency.
The May 12 directive proposed dividing the influential revenue-collecting NBR