Bangladesh tax workers end strike after government backtracks

DHAKA: Bangladesh´s tax authority workers ended a two-week partial strike on Sunday after they said the interim government would address their demands to stop an overhaul of the body.

Earlier on Sunday, security forces had surrounded the national tax authority headquarters, after government orders to reform the National Board of Revenue (NBR) sparked fury from employees.

Joint Tax Commissioner Monalisa Saha Sushmita told reporters at the main NBR building in Dhaka, where police and armed security gathered, that the workers would begin a “complete” shutdown. Hours later, NRB senior official Abdur Rouf said the strike had ended.

“The government assured to take care of our demands, and that´s why we have called off our strike,” Rouf told AFP. “Our next step is negotiation.” NRB officials had said their strike had resulted in the revenues not being collected that totalled $122-163 million per day. It was not possible to verify those figures.

Bangladesh has been in turmoil since a student-led revolt ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, ending her 15-year iron-fisted rule. The interim government -- led by Nobel Peace Prize-winning microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus -- is trying to enact sweeping reforms.

The tax board protest reflects the divisions, rival loyalties and confusion between government branches and the caretaker administration. The government proposals would have allowed civil servants from outside the NRB to take top roles. Bangladesh is the world´s second-largest garment manufacturer, while textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of the country´s exports.