NBR restructuring just a ‘cosmetic reform’: BNP leader Moyeen Khan

Abdul Moyeen Khan, a member of the BNP's national standing committee, has termed the government's latest move to restructure the National Board of Revenue (NBR) as a "cosmetic reform", questioning its effectiveness in addressing the core challenges within the country's financial system.

"Abolition of the NBR is just a cosmetic reform," said Khan in his reaction to The Daily Star today.

"The international development partners such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund do not really comprehend the informal nature of our economy," he argued.

So, their textbook prescriptions are mostly based on sound theoretical foundations, yet these would not provide any real solution to the core problems of Bangladesh's financial system, he said.

The BNP leader stressed that the key issue plaguing the NBR is systemic corruption.

"Simple rebranding or changing signboards won't resolve the structural flaws in our severely ailing financial infrastructure," he said.

He also referred to public statements made by Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday, when he assured NBR employees that the restructuring would safeguard them.

"If no structural change affects the workforce, then all this drum-beating over reform is simply a futile exercise," Khan remarked.

What the country truly needs is a comprehensive overhaul of its tax system, the politician said.

The system is widely alleged to facilitate more tax evasion than actual collection, he added.

On May 12, the interim government issued an ordinance to dissolve the current NBR structure and the Internal Resources Division, and establish two separate wings: the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division.

The move has sparked controversy and protest among tax officials, many of whom are currently observing pen-down strikes demanding that the ordinance be repealed.