Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the government wants to build a taxpayer-friendly revenue structure and transform the National Board of Revenue, or NBR, into an institution trusted rather than feared. He made the remarks as chief guest at the Revenue Conference 2026 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital on Tuesday. He said efficient and sustainable revenue management was necessary to meet taxpayers’ expectations and build public confidence.

Rahman said the government opposed relying solely on foreign assistance while placing additional debt burdens on future generations. He called for expanding domestic income sources through a people-oriented production policy, which he said would raise investment, trade, industrialisation, incomes and employment. He also urged revenue officials to develop broad skills in areas including the digital economy, e-commerce, international taxation, financial crime, money laundering, artificial intelligence and data analytics.

He called for simpler, online-based tax payment systems free from corruption and harassment. Noting that the tax-to-GDP ratio remains low, the tax base is narrow and much of the economy is informal, he urged authorities to identify tax-capable people rather than repeatedly increasing burdens on existing taxpayers. He said revenue collection showed a positive trend from mid-February through late June.