Bangladesh’s long‑standing central tax authority, the National Board of Revenue, has officially ceased to exist. In its place, the interim government has created two separate entities the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division under a sweeping restructuring approved on Thursday.
The decision, endorsed at the government’s 39th Advisory Council meeting chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, is designed to modernize the country’s tax system by clearly separating policy formulation from day‑to‑day revenue collection.
The move follows an ordinance first issued on 12 May, which set the stage for dismantling the NBR’s unified structure. Under the new framework, the Revenue Policy Division will focus on drafting and evaluating tax laws and strategies, while the Revenue Management Division will handle the operational side of revenue collection.
However, the reform has not been without controversy. For more than six weeks, officials and employees from the former NBR have staged protests, calling for changes that reflect the input of all stakeholders. They argue that any overhaul of the tax administration must balance efficiency with fairness and protect the interests of those who have long served within the system.
The government maintains that the split will bring greater transparency, accountability, and agility to revenue operations a transformation it says is essential for meeting the nation’s fiscal needs in the years ahead.
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