Govt to split NBR functions, separate tax policy from implementation: Khosru

The government is moving ahead with plans to split the National Board of Revenue (NBR), separating tax policy formulation from implementation as part of broader reforms aimed at improving tax administration and increasing the country's tax-to-GDP ratio.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury announced the move while speaking at an event at a city hotel today (21 June).
He said the existing structure of the revenue authority has long suffered from policy-related weaknesses and that the proposed restructuring is intended to address those shortcomings.
"NBR is an issue that we have to solve. We are going into bifurcation. There will be a separate policy body and an execution body," the finance minister said.
Under the proposed arrangement, tax policy will be formulated separately from implementation.
According to the minister, tax experts and individuals with knowledge of Bangladesh's socioeconomic realities will be involved in policy formulation, while bureaucrats will focus on implementing those policies.
"The policy level is not going to be run by bureaucrats. We want tax experts and people who understand Bangladesh and its people to come into policy formulation," he said.
The minister said weaknesses in policy-making have been one of the major problems within Bangladesh's tax system and the NBR.
"If you get that right to start with, only 50% of the problem is solved," he added.
Amir Khosru expressed hope that separating policy formulation from implementation would improve the efficiency of tax administration and help raise the country's tax-to-GDP ratio.
















