Top business organizations in Bangladesh have voiced deep concern over the ongoing shutdown at the National Board of Revenue (NBR), warning that the situation could lead to serious disruptions in the country’s import-export trade and severely impact the national economy.
At a joint press conference held on Saturday in Dhaka, 13 leading business organizations—including BGMEA, BTMA, BKMEA, and BCI—stressed the urgent need to resolve the NBR crisis.
They noted that activities at NBR offices have been severely curtailed due to a "complete shutdown" by officers and staff demanding the removal of the current NBR chairman.
In a written statement delivered at the event, Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury (Parvez), President of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI), said that importers and exporters are facing unprecedented difficulties.
“As operations at NBR departments are limited to just 9 AM to 12 PM, importers cannot clear raw materials on time. This has resulted in increased lead times and production delays,” he stated.
Business leaders explained that import-export goods are being left exposed at ports and airports, causing damage from weather conditions.
Due to shortened working hours, obtaining a single UP (unit price) approval is taking 10–15 days instead of one, creating shipment delays. Some buyers have already threatened to cancel orders or switch to air shipment, further escalating costs.
Moreover, port demurrage charges are reportedly being paid at four times the standard rate, significantly increasing the cost of doing business.
Despite the ongoing protest by NBR officials, the business leaders clarified that they do not support the demand for the chairman’s removal. Rather, they called for a reformed and efficient NBR free from bureaucratic harassment.
They urged the caretaker government’s Chief Adviser to immediately initiate a dialogue involving the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, and BIDA with the protesting NBR officials to find a resolution.
In the interest of the economy, they called on NBR officers to withdraw from the work stoppage and resume their duties.
Among those present at the press conference were Mahbubur Rahman, President of ICC Bangladesh; Mahmud Hasan Khan, President of BGMEA; Shawkat Aziz Russell, President of BTMA; Syed Nasim Manzur, President of LFMEAB; Mir Nasir Hossain, former President of FBCCI; Moinul Islam, President of BCMEA; Mohiuddin Ahmed Mahin, Chairman of BFLLFEA; Shamim Ahmed, President of BPGMEA; and Simin Rahman, Vice President of MCCI.
