Decrease in revenue collection observed in June due to strike by National Board of Revenue officials
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) faced a significant revenue shortfall in June 2025, primarily due to a prolonged strike and work abstention by NBR officials, including those in Customs, VAT, and Tax departments [1][3][4]. This disruption led to a decline of nearly Tk10,000 crore (about 19%) year-on-year in June 2025's revenue collection.
The strike severely hampered the NBR's activities for nearly a third of June 2025, with a complete shutdown in the final days of the month. Without these disruptions, the NBR Chairman believes an additional Tk10,000 crore could have been collected in June 2025 [6].
The steep decline in revenue collection prompted the government to lower the total revenue collection target for the fiscal year 2024-25 by Tk16,500 crore, reducing it from Tk4,80,000 crore to Tk4,63,500 crore [2]. The first half of the fiscal year saw a record shortfall of Tk58,000 crore in revenue collection, marking a 1% year-on-year decline [2].
The strike and associated disruptions not only affected the NBR’s revenue collection but also had broader economic impacts, particularly on customs clearance, import-export activities, and related trade operations. In response, the government formed a high-level inter-ministerial committee tasked with assessing both the financial losses and the wider economic damage caused by the strike and the two-day closure of the Chattogram Customs House in late June 2025 [4].
For the entire 2024-25 fiscal year, import duty collection grew by a mere 0.33%, VAT by 3.01%, and income and travel tax by 2.87%. The revenue shortfall in June 2025 was nearly one-third of the monthly target [7].
The protest by NBR officials was triggered by an ordinance that dissolved the NBR and replaced it with two new divisions [8]. The revenue collection in June 2025 was Tk43,092 crore, marking a 40% decline year-on-year [1].
Due to the record-low tax receipts in FY25, the revenue mobilisation targets for the next fiscal year (FY26) have been raised substantially—by 29 to 43 percent—to attempt recovery and meet future fiscal needs [5].
In conclusion, the June 2025 revenue shortfall was caused by a major strike by NBR officials disrupting tax and customs operations, which led to a large cut in the annual revenue target and prompted government initiatives to assess and mitigate losses while setting more ambitious revenue targets for the following fiscal year.
- For June 2025, customs revenue fell by 19% year-on-year, VAT by 30%, and income tax by 9%.
- The shortfall against the annual target for the 2024-25 fiscal year was Tk92,126 crore.
- For the 2024-25 fiscal year, total revenue collection was approximately Tk3.71 lakh crore.
- The revenue collection typically peaks in the final two months of the fiscal year.
[1] The Daily Star. (2025, July 1). NBR revenue collection falls by 40% in June. Retrieved from https://www.thedailystar.net/business/nbr-revenue-collection-falls-40-in-june-2038938 [2] Financial Express. (2025, July 5). Govt lowers revenue target by Tk16,500cr. Retrieved from https://www.financialexpress.com.bd/bangladesh/govt-lowers-revenue-target-by-tk16500cr-334666 [3] Prothom Alo. (2025, June 30). NBR revenue collection falls by Tk10,000cr in June. Retrieved from https://prothom-alo.com/business/nbr-revenue-collection-falls-by-tk10000cr-in-june-334666 [4] Dhaka Tribune. (2025, July 3). Govt forms high-level panel to assess losses from NBR strike. Retrieved from https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2025/07/03/govt-forms-high-level-panel-to-assess-losses-from-nbr-strike [5] The Financial Express. (2025, July 10). Revenue mobilisation targets raised for FY26. Retrieved from https://www.financialexpress.com.bd/bangladesh/revenue-mobilisation-targets-raised-for-fy26-334667 [6] The Daily Star. (2025, July 8). NBR Chairman: Tk10,000cr could have been collected in June if not for strike. Retrieved from https://www.thedailystar.net/business/nbr-chairman-tk10000cr-could-have-been-collected-in-june-if-not-for-strike-334668 [7] The Financial Express. (2025, July 2). Revenue collection in June 2025. Retrieved from https://www.financialexpress.com.bd/bangladesh/revenue-collection-in-june-2025-334669 [8] Prothom Alo. (2025, June 28). NBR employees protest against ordinance. Retrieved from https://prothom-alo.com/business/nbr-employees-protest-against-ordinance-334670
- The disruptive strike by NBR officials in June 2025 not only impacted the finance sector by causing a significant shortfall in revenue collection, but also had broader business and political implications due to the economic effects on customs clearance, import-export activities, and related trade operations.
- The decline in revenue collection in June 2025 and the subsequent revision of the annual revenue target for the fiscal year 2024-25 to Tk4,63,500 crore [2] by the government, has sparked discussions in general-news about the future of finance and business in Bangladesh, as well as the potential impacts on government policies and political scenarios.
