40 hours allocated for budget discussion

Bangladesh must prioritise domestic gas exploration and renewable energy transition over costly LNG imports to achieve energy sovereignty.

May extend metro rail VAT exemption

The government is setting aside Tk 1,45,000 crore in the next fiscal year’s programme for social safety net schemes, up 14.4 percent year-on-year, with about 9.7 percent of the sum going towards the BNP’s flagship Family Card programme.

The government will allocate Tk 1,26,125 crore for subsidies and incentives in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, with 55 percent going towards electricity and fertiliser.

The Election Commission (EC) is likely to get an allocation of around Tk 2,900 crore in the National Budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year for its operations, including holding local government polls.

National Citizen Party (NCP) leaders, while unveiling their shadow budget for the upcoming fiscal year yesterday, said they do not want rhetoric-heavy, numbers-based, or superficial budgets that exist only on paper.

With fuel prices increased in two rounds, the latest power tariff hike will add to the already high inflationary pressure, according to the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

Since fiscal year 2009-2010, Bangladesh’s budget has grown almost every year, with planned spending rising sevenfold to Tk 7.97 lakh crore in FY25. Yet not a single budget announced over the past 16 years has been fully implemented.

The government is set to backtrack from its plans to reintroduce a wealth tax and impose a first-ever advance income tax (AIT) on motorcycles and battery-run auto-rickshaws in the upcoming budget for fiscal year 2026-27, according to officials familiar with the matter.

Tax-free income ceiling to hit Tk 4.5 lakh by FY31

The upcoming budget for fiscal year 2026-27 will seek to widen economic participation by bringing traditionally overlooked groups into the mainstream economy, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said yesterday.

In terms of government expenditure as a share of GDP, Bangladesh has one of the lowest ratios in South Asia

The government is set to offer major tax relief to individuals and businesses in the national budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 by introducing a system to refund excess minimum tax payments, addressing a long-standing concern of taxpayers and investors.

Experts call for improving efficiency of agencies, simplifying processes for project approval, procurement

The government expects the country’s gross foreign currency reserves to hit a record $51.4 billion by the end of next fiscal year, provided that remittance inflow is strong and interest rates high.

The government is setting a high growth target for the next fiscal year, banking on the possibility of stability returning to the Middle East by June next year and the expansionary fiscal and monetary policies being pursued.

The government is set to move away from its reliance on domestic borrowing to fund the budget deficit next fiscal year and go for foreign borrowing in a bid to free up resources for the private sector and contain inflationary pressures, according to the draft budget plan.

Bangladesh is preparing its next national budget at a difficult moment when living costs remain high, private investment is weak, foreign exchange reserves are under pressure, development needs exceed domestic revenue, and a growing share of public expenditure is absorbed by debt servicing.

The government should focus on stabilising businesses in the upcoming budget for fiscal year 2026-27 rather than chasing ambitious growth targets, according to a top business leader, as he says confidence remains fragile at home and global risks are rising.