Written by The Banking Post
The interim government has abruptly dissolved a five-member advisory committee tasked with proposing reforms for the National Board of Revenue (NBR), even as the committee’s comprehensive report remained incomplete. The finance ministry issued a notification on Sunday, citing the promulgation of the Revenue Policy and Management Ordinance 2025, which separates revenue policy from management.
“The NBR Advisory Committee, formed on October 9 last year, has been dissolved following the new ordinance,” the notification said.
Committee members expressed surprise at the decision. “We don’t know why the government acted so suddenly. We are still working to fulfil our six-point terms of reference,” said Muhammad Abdul Mazid, one of the members. He noted that the committee had completed only one-fifth of its assigned work and was still holding consultations with stakeholders.
The six-point mandate included advising on fiscal and revenue reforms, assessing NBR capacity, recommending modernisation, guiding institutional governance, supporting citizen engagement, and providing broader revenue policy advice.
The committee included two former NBR chairmen—Mazid and Nasiruddin Ahmed—and former tax and customs officials Delwar Hossain, Aminur Rahman, and Farid Uddin. “Our work went beyond the NBR separation to strengthening reforms, boosting revenue collection, and modernising the revenue system,” Mazid said.
The dissolution came a day after Farid Uddin warned that a separation done “out of spite” could have disastrous consequences, expressing concern that the committee’s recommendations were not fully reflected in the ordinance. Another member said the move could be linked to these public remarks, raising concerns about the government’s commitment to genuine reform.
NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan could not be reached for comment. Unlike other government reform committees formed through Cabinet Division directives, this panel was created by the Internal Resources Division under the finance ministry. The government has not released the committee’s recommendations on the NBR’s split.
