Md Abdur Rahman Khan is a Bangladeshi civil servant, who is currently serving as the

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

Internal Resources Division Internal Resources Division () is a Bangladesh government division under the Ministry of Finance responsible for overseeing revenue collection in Bangladesh. History Internal Resources Division was established on 21 April 1979 as part of a re-o ...

and the Chairman of the

National Board of Revenue The National Board of Revenue (NBR; ) is the central authority for tax administration in Bangladesh. It is a statutory authority attached with the Internal Resources Division of the Ministry of Finance. The NBR collects almost 97% of tax revenue ...

. Prior to his current position, he served as the secretary of the Financial Institutions Division. As NBR chairman, Khan has faced criticism for his handling of a controversial restructuring plan that came under censure from

Transparency International Bangladesh Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) is the Bangladeshi branch of the Berlin-based Transparency International, a civil society organisation dedicated to fighting against corruption. History TIB started its activities in 1997, under found ...

and the

Centre for Policy Dialogue The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) is a non-governmental think-tank in Bangladesh. It was established in 1993 by Rehman Sobhan, its founder chairman, with support from leading civil society institutions in Bangladesh History In 1993, Reh ...

. The TIB and the CPD criticized the dissolution of the NBR and the creation of two ministerial divisions as an act of executive capture of the revenue sector, arguing that it sparked an unnecessary bureaucratic turf war and demonstrated favoritism toward the administration cadre.

Early life

Khan was born in

Lakshmipur Lakshmipur () is a city and headquarter of Lakshmipur District in the Chittagong Division, Bangladesh. Demographics According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Lakshmipur had 17,009 households and a population of 83,112. 18,345 (22.07%) were u ...

district. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from the

University of Chittagong The University of Chittagong () also known as Chittagong University (CU), is a public research university located in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It was established on 18 November 1966. It is the fifth oldest university of Bangladesh. Having an area ...

. He also holds a second master's degree from

Ulster University Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

Career

Khan joined the Bangladesh Civil Service on 25 April 1994 as a taxation cadre. Khan worked as an international advisor to the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

. In January 2023, Khan was elected President of the

Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) is an institution dedicated to cost and management accounting education and research in Bangladesh. It is managed as an autonomous professional body under the Ministry of Co ...

while serving as an additional secretary at the Ministry of Finance. Khan was appointed secretary of the Financial Institutions Division of the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

in May 2024 replacing Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah who was set to retire. He was the previous chief of the Administration and Treasury and Debt Management Wing. After the fall of the

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...

led

Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

government, Khan was appointed chairman of the National Board of Revenue on 15 August 2024. He replaced the contractually appointed chairman, Abu Hena Md. Rahmatul Muneem, after his contract was terminated. There were protests at the National Board of Revenue by employees demanding the removal of Muneem.

References

{{Reflist Living people Bangladeshi civil servants Year of birth missing (living people) University of Chittagong alumni Alumni of Ulster University People from Lakshmipur District