NBR chief tells businesses to report officials’ misconduct

National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan yesterday urged businesses not to tolerate any misconduct by field-level NBR officials and to file formal complaints against them when such incidents occur.

"We've issued clear instructions about the law, yet some field officers don't follow them. And some of the blame lies with you professionals — why do you tolerate it?" he asked.

Khan made the comments while meeting with member companies of the Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at the NBR headquarters in the capital's Agargaon.

The NBR chairman reminded businesses and taxpayers that government officers are public servants whose salaries are funded by tax money.

"Their salaries come from your tax money, so why should you tolerate them ignoring government orders? The more you tolerate, the more irregularities they will commit. This attitude must change," he added.

The NBR chairman urged businesses to actively report misconduct through the board's grievance redress system, which he said can now be accessed online on the NBR website.

"You can lodge complaints online, stating what happened and what you tried to do. We will conduct an inquiry and take disciplinary action," he said.

Khan also hinted that disciplinary actions are already taking place, saying, "We receive a lot of information through various channels. But if you don't raise your voice, the situation will never improve."

Businesses at the event echoed the concern, saying that inconsistencies at the field level continue to create confusion for them.

Md Mahbub ur Rahman, CEO of HSBC Bangladesh, said outward payments, double taxation agreements, and corporate or VAT compliance were the three key challenges for most members, though the degree of relevance may vary.

"Most of our members' home countries have double taxation agreements with Bangladesh, so clear guidance from the NBR on their implementation is needed," he said.

Khan further urged revenue officials to change their mindset, warning against harassment or arbitrary tax collection.

"I will collect tax as per law, not through coercion or harassment," he said.

"I've told my tax commissioners and customs houses very clearly: I will not ask how much money you've collected. I don't even want to hear it," he said.

Khan expressed optimism that all three laws will soon be officially available in English, which will help foreign investors.

"Hopefully, very soon, all three laws — the income tax law, the customs law, and the VAT law — will be officially available in English," he said.

Turning to the discussion on authorised economic operators (AEOs), the chairman said, "We genuinely want to make the system attractive for compliant taxpayers."

He noted that honest taxpayers often face more pressure than non-compliant ones.

"We often hear that the tax burden keeps increasing for compliant taxpayers, while non-compliant ones remain unaffected regardless of any new measures," he said.

Khan said digitalisation is already showing positive results. "Already, we've seen promising signs," he said.

"In July, August, and September, tax collection has increased by more than 20 percent. Last year, the growth was only 3 percent, but this year, on top of that base, we're seeing over 20 percent growth on average," said Khan.

He acknowledged past shortcomings in refund payments.

"Last year, I must apologise, we couldn't allow any cash refunds to taxpayers," he said.

"But this year, hopefully, we'll sit together and find ways to make the refund process smoother and more efficient," he said.