Prices up

The proposed budget for 2024-25 lacks creativity and offers no solutions to the many complex challenges facing the country’s economy, economists have said.

Where will the money come from?

Backtracking on its promise to eliminate black money, the government has once again made room to allow both individuals and companies to whiten money without facing scrutiny and by paying a 15 percent tax, a move that drew sharp criticism from economists and civil society.

Where will the money go?

Bangladesh truly is unique in the sense that its government keeps granting individuals the opportunity to whiten black money, despite its questionable record of success. An amount of Tk 78 crore was whitened in the 1977-78 budget, Tk 850 crore during 1987-90, Tk 1,000 crore during 2000-01, Tk 4,403 crore during 2005-06, Tk 9,683 crore during 2007-08, Tk 1,213 crore during 2009-10, and Tk 20,600 crore in 2020-21.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday termed the proposed national budget “anti-Bangladesh”, saying it contains new schemes to facilitate the embezzlement of public money by the ruling party-backed looters.

In its first proposed budget after assuming power for a fourth consecutive term, the Awami League government skirted round some of the promises the party made in its election manifesto for the January 7 parliamentary polls.

The budget for the upcoming fiscal year, presented in the context of inordinately complex economic circumstances, reflects both the government’s restraint and limitations.

Budget out of Tk 100

The trade-off between growth and inflation is pretty apparent. It implies loss of employment and income. The critical factor in this respect is the availability and effective use of the government's fiscal space.

The macroeconomic imperative was to tighten the budget, particularly the domestic financing component of the budget deficit.

The recently proposed national budget for FY25 has remained a widely speculated topic for the people of this country

They blame govt for focusing on imported solutions rather than own resources

A total expenditure of Tk 797,000 crore has been proposed with a total tax revenue of Tk 541,000 crore, resulting in a deficit of Tk 256,000 crore

Budget admits we are in a crisis, but offers no direction out of it

While the cost of living remains high, with the inflation rate hovering at over 9 percent throughout the year, no ray of hope came for the common people in the budget declared yesterday.

The tax rate on income from provident funds and other retirement funds, which are maintained by companies for their employees, will remain unchanged at 15 percent for the fiscal year 2024-25. 

After Finance Minister AH Mahmood Ali presented the proposed FY25 budget in the parliament today, political parties were divided on the subject, some terming it “practical”, while others calling it “unrealistic”, and “a new plan for looting”

Of the total deficit financing, Tk 90,700 crore will come from foreign sources while Tk 160,900 crore will come from domestic sources.