NBR officials across Bangladesh have declared a full nationwide shutdown beginning Saturday, intensifying their ongoing protest against the National Board of Revenue chairman and recent transfer orders. The move was announced by the NBR Reform Unity Council a coalition of tax, customs, and VAT officers during a press briefing at the revenue headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka. The council demands the removal of chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan and a complete withdrawal of contentious transfer orders, warning that operations could remain suspended indefinitely if their demands go unmet. Earlier this week, the Unity Council held a three-hour pen-down strike, donning burial shrouds to symbolize the perceived “death of transparency” in the NBR. They threatened further sit-ins and demonstration actions, targeting offices nationwide. Support has come from field offices outside Dhaka, including Chattogram’s Customs House, where import assessments and clearances were halted for three hours on Friday morning; essential export and airport functions were exempted. The protest movement traces back to a May 12 ordinance issued under the interim government, which split the NBR into separate policy and implementation wings, effectively dissolving the existing structure a reform pushed by the IMF as a condition of its $4.7 billion loan package. Officials paused their action after the government pledged not to dissolve the NBR and to consider amendments. Yet the Unity Council alleges that they were excluded from the amendment process, key protest leaders have been transferred, and further reshuffles are being used to marginalize dissenting voices. In Dhaka’s NBR headquarters on Monday, officers staged a sit-in, wearing white burial shrouds and breaking pens to dramatize institutional collapse. Several senior officials have since been transferred to income tax, customs, and VAT zones in cities including Dhaka, Cumilla, Mymensingh, Khulna, Bogura, and Rangpur a move the Unity Council claims is retaliatory. The government has yet to issue a public response, though internal discussions are reportedly underway to diffuse tensions and maintain revenue operations. The council’s leaders made clear that the shutdown will continue unless their demands are met. The scheduled stoppage could significantly disrupt tax collection and customs clearance processes, potentially affecting both domestic finance and international trade. This is the latest in a series of escalating actions, following a previous full-scale strike in May in rejection of the ordinance. As the situation unfolds, both revenue officials and the administration are under pressure to find a resolution that honors procedural integrity while preserving revenue system stability. Unless dialogue yields results, Bangladesh could soon face wide-ranging administrative disruption, with far-reaching economic consequences.
