Governments yesterday faced some of the first legal action over their handling of the coronavirus as global markets began to rebound from losses fuelled by fears of a second wave of the pandemic.

The proposed budget for 2020-21 has frustrated the country’s aviation industry, with officials of different airlines pointing out that there was no mention of a bailout despite it being one of the hardest hit sectors for the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government’s ambitious revenue collection target and the plan to borrow a huge sum from the banking sector to finance the budget deficit may leave the private sector and individual taxpayers in dire straits, business leaders said yesterday.

The BNP yesterday termed the proposed national budget for the fiscal year 2020-21 imaginary, blunt and unimplementable.

Bangladesh is gradually being weighed down by foreign loans, understandable through the budgetary allocation for external debt repayment, which would fester in the upcoming fiscal year and undermine efforts to revive the economy bogged down by the novel coronavirus.

Bangladesh persistently remained on the 10th position on the global ranking of the worst coronavirus-hit countries for five consecutive days from June 6 due to its high number of new cases.

Trade body and business chamber leaders said the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is largely dependent on prompt implementation of the stimulus package.

In a scenario where the public transport sector cannot cater to the massive volume of commuters, owners of cars or jeeps will have to pay up to 67 percent more as advanced income tax or commonly known as “road tax” -- required to be paid during the registration and fitness renewal of motor vehicles.

Economists said the government would not be able to achieve the target of revenue mobilisation and economic growth this fiscal year.

People with big bank balances are going to see up to a 60 percent hike in excise duty rates the next fiscal year, as the government aims to collect higher taxes from relatively well-offs to attain the target of increased revenue collection for next fiscal year, according to the budget proposed by Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal.

THE HISTORY OF BUDGET

An alleged robber was killed in a gunfight with members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-7) at Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram early yesterday.

Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has directed five Supreme Court officials, including its Register General Md Ali Akbar, to discharge duties round the clock, in order to take necessary measures for Covid-19 treatment to its judges, during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Brussels set out plans to reopen the EU’s internal borders yesterday, even as the global coronavirus outbreak hit worrying new landmarks in the United States, Latin America and Russia.

President Donald Trump yesterday issued an executive order authorising US sanctions against International Criminal Court employees involved in an investigation into whether American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.

The condition of former health minister and Awami League MP Mohammad Nasim deteriorated further yesterday. He is now in a “very critical state”.

After a day’s hard work, Omar Faruque Shipon spends time from evening to night raising awareness about coronavirus, which greatly helps his fellow Bangladeshi migrant workers in Singapore.

At least 861 people have died after showing Covid-19-like symptoms from March 22 to June 6, said a report of Dhaka University’s Centre for Genocide Studies.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra Founder and Trustee Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury is gradually recovering from pneumonia, an official of the Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital said yesterday.

West Bengal Chief Minister Siddhartha Shankar Roy leaves today for Kolkata after successfully completing his three-day visit to Bangladesh.