Officials and employees of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have declared they will continue their pen-down strike on Saturday, demanding the repeal of a government ordinance that restructures the revenue administration.

At a press briefing held Thursday at NBR headquarters, officials pressed a three-point demand: Immediate repeal of the new ordinance that dissolves the NBR and the Internal Resources Division, public disclosure of the state advisory committee’s report on NBR reform, inclusive, consultative, and sustainable reforms to the revenue system involving all stakeholders.

Despite the work abstention for a second consecutive day, key national functions such as international passenger clearance, export processing, and budget preparations have been kept out of the strike’s purview.

“We are not against reforms,” said Sefat-E-Mariam, Additional Commissioner of the NBR. “But the reforms must be rational, inclusive, and development-oriented—not imposed in a top-down manner to serve vested interests.”

She criticised the lack of transparency surrounding the advisory committee’s report, claiming that the NBR itself was not consulted before the government rushed through the restructuring ordinance.

The new ordinance, issued Monday night, dissolves the NBR and the Internal Resources Division and replaces them with a Revenue Policy Division and a Revenue Implementation Division—both under the Ministry of Finance.

According to the ordinance, the revenue policy division will design tax policies and set tariffs, and the revenue implementation division will handle tax collection and enforcement.

However, protesting officials allege that the move sidelines experienced revenue cadre professionals in favour of general administration officials, undermining institutional knowledge and capacity.

The strike is being led by the “NBR Reform Unity Council”, which was formed shortly after the ordinance’s publication.

NBR Deputy Commissioners Mostafizur Rahman and Nipun Chakma also spoke at the press briefing, supporting the call for transparency, dialogue, and broader stakeholder involvement in revenue reform.