NBR dissolved, split into two divisions

The government has dissolved the National Board of Revenue (NBR), replacing it with two new divisions under the Ministry of Finance.

The interim government promulgated an ordinance on Monday night.

According to the ordinance, there are two separate entities-- the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Administration Division.

The Advisory Council approved the ordinance on April 17.

It says the government will announce the effective date of implementation through a separate gazette notification.

The ordinance allows for the appointment of any suitably qualified government officer as secretary of the Revenue Policy Division.

From the beginning, officials and staff from all National Board of Revenue tiers, including Income Tax and Customs departments, have been staging protests demanding the withdrawal of the proposed ordinance.

They had submitted seven significant recommendations on behalf of their respective associations.

To modernize tax administration and boost revenue collection, the government enacted the dissolution following a key condition set by the International Monetary Fund to separate tax policy from administration.