Revenue Review Ruse: Fake Identities Like Elon Musk and Trump Flood NBR Virtual Meeting

The National Board of Revenue’s (NBR) Income Tax Wing held its routine revenue review meeting virtually on Sunday—only to discover an attendance list featuring some unlikely names: tech billionaire Elon Musk, U.S. President Donald Trump, and a host of other suspicious entries such as “ITU,” “Xiaomi Redmi,” “Samsung A52,” “Tejgaon Egg Traders’ Association” and “Mayer Doa Sanitaries.” In total, more than 400 participants were logged in, but officials say many of the IDs had no real existence or connection to the tax authority.

“This meeting usually sees Dhaka‑based officers attend in person, while others join online,” officials said. “But in the 15 June session, a large portion of the virtual attendees were clearly fictitious. It appears the fake IDs were used deliberately to inflate the head‑count.”

Several NBR officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, linked the stunt to ongoing unrest within the agency. Staff have been protesting under the banner of the NBR Reform Unity Council, demanding the withdrawal of a special ordinance and the removal of the NBR chairman. Although the protest was suspended on 25 May after a government assurance to amend the ordinance, no progress has been made on replacing the chairman. “Field‑level officers remain disgruntled,” one official said, adding that the fake log‑ins reflected a policy of “non‑cooperation” with the chairman.

Indeed, despite heavy police security, Chairman Md. Abdur Rahman Khan returned to work after the Eid break and presided over the meeting. Some officers joined using IDs labeled “Donald Trump” and “Elon Musk,” insiders confirmed.

During the session, officials reviewed income‑tax collections for the first 11 months of the 2024‑25 fiscal year. Against a target of Tk 139,805 crore, only Tk 105,196 crore has been collected—leaving a significant shortfall and year‑on‑year growth of just 4.30 percent. May alone contributed Tk 10,130 crore.

Chairman Khan urged staff to “make every effort in the final 15 days of the fiscal year” to narrow the gap, yet officers observed that he did not adopt his usual hardline stance on the deficit.

The incident has raised fresh questions about internal morale and transparency at the NBR just as it scrambles to meet its year‑end revenue goals.