Ahsan Habib made acting NBR chief

With more than three decades of experience in tax administration; Ahsan Habib, a career tax cadre official succeeds Md. Abdur Rahman Khan

The government has appointed Ahsan Habib, a member of the National Board of Revenue, as the acting chairman of the country’s apex tax authority. This marks the first time in the organization's history that a top position has been filled from within its own cadre of officials.

With more than three decades of experience in tax administration; Ahsan Habib, a career tax cadre official succeeds Md. Abdur Rahman Khan.

Currently, Ahsan Habib is serving as a member of the Tax Administration and Human Resource Management division of the NBR.

The Ministry of Public Administration issued a gazette notification regarding Ahsan Habib's appointment on Monday. Concurrently, he has also been appointed as the Acting Secretary of the Internal Resources Division (IRD).

Prior to becoming a member of the NBR, the newly appointed Ahsan Habib served as the Director General of the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) during the tenure of the interim government.

During the interim government, Ahsan Habib led investigations into tax evasion against various industrial conglomerates close to the ousted Awami League government. He extensively investigated tax evasion and money laundering abroad by various political figures, their families, top bureaucrats, and 12 corporate groups, unearthing hundreds of crores of taka in evaded taxes.

Additionally, he played a crucial role in the initiative to realize outstanding taxes from the online gambling platform 'Ulka Games', which brought him into significant spotlight.

Meanwhile, NBR officials are delighted by the appointment of a new chairman from within the organization’s own workforce.

According to them, administrative policy dictates that for appointments to specialized or sensitive positions, the government sometimes values an official's trustworthiness, loyalty, recent performance and courage over strict seniority. A section of general officers and employees of the NBR views this decision to appoint a chairman from their own cadre very positively.

Ahsan Habib was born in Jhalakathi in 1969. He obtained his Honors and Master's degrees from Dhaka University. He secured the second position in the 15th Tax Cadre.

For training, Ahsan Habib visited Bulgaria, the Philippines, Malaysia, and India. In his personal life, he is married and the father of two children. His son is studying in the United States, and his daughter is studying in Australia.

The tenure of the outgoing NBR Chairman, Abdur Rahman Khan, ended on June 29. The government appointed the new chairman on his final working day at the National Board of Revenue.