Imagine a migrant worker hauling Tk 730 crore into Bangladesh, slapping a “tax-free” label on it, and walking away unchallenged.

That’s the eyebrow-raising tale National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan dropped on Monday, March 17, at the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) in Dhaka.

“He calls it wage earnings,” Khan said, a mix of incredulity and restraint in his voice. “Tax-free, he insists.”

The revelation came during a view-sharing meet titled “Economy-Discussion: Revenue Management and Media,” hosted by the Bangladesh Civil Service (Taxation) Association.

Khan didn’t name the worker or pin a date—just dangled the figure like a fiscal grenade. “We’ve incentivised expatriates to send money through banks, tax-free, to boost remittances,” he explained. “But Tk 730 crore? You’d be surprised.”

Pressed for a name, Khan demurred: “Better not to say.” Why the hush? “Action’s coming—then you’ll know.” The room buzzed with the unspoken: is this a loophole exploited or a policy gone wild?

“We might be blind to this injustice—or pretending to be,” he mused, hinting at deeper cracks in enforcement.

Khan pivoted to governance woes: “We’re upside down—suppressing good, uplifting evil. Laws sit idle. Of 1.13 crore Tax Identification Number holders, 4 million file returns; 8 million don’t. Why bother filing if skipping’s painless? The honest get hassled, the dodgers thrive.” His frustration was palpable: “We’re not enforcing at the grassroots. That’s why chaos festers.”

Iktiar Uddin Mohammad, Commissioner of the Large Taxpayer Unit, laid out a bold NBR vision—unifying tax and non-tax revenue by 2040, plus an “access profit tax” to rein in corporate windfalls.

ERF President Daulat Akhter Mala fired back: “Data’s a ghost here—analysis dies without it. Beef up the Research and Statistics Wing.”

To Khan, she urged, “Assess your tax policies’ impact. Let journalists help.”

NBR’s GM Abul Kalam Kaikobad, Taxation Association’s Mutasim Billah, and others weighed in, a chorus probing revenue’s future.