During my insensitive, immature childhood years I used to be hugely amused when a few of my South Asian friends from the South of India would shake their heads from left to right, saying Yes.

As with any case of austerity politics, the biggest losers were the working class, as conditions of free market investment benefitted the capital-owning class. These harsh measures eventually led to mass unemployment and underconsumption and as a result the economy suffered even more, worsening Greece's plight.

AL'S affable finance minister is a lucky man having done the national budget more number of times than any other finance minister.

Central banks should also be interested in the supply side investments that give the long run growth potential to a nation. Thus it is more important to give credit to a solar plant than a fashionable clothing store.

Just after 7 PM Greek time on Sunday, I was told that the “No” vote (Gk. Oxi) was winning approximately 60/40.

Looking at the trend in the investment-GDP ratio since 1979-80, we can suggest four different investment regimes in Bangladesh.

The rising crescendo of bickering and acrimony within Europe might seem to outsiders to be the inevitable result of the bitter endgame playing out between Greece and its creditors.

A national budget is different from a family budget, in that, the government fixes its expenditure first and then goes for hunting the sources of income, whereas a family gets its income and then determines the items of expenses.

Dearth of human capital is a huge problem in this populous country. Of course, the job market is very competitive and getting a job is difficult for a university graduate.

In any case, the lowering of corporate tax is bad for the economy holistically as it will serve to widen inequality between the super-rich and the waged worker.

There are very few programmes that exclusively target the extreme poor. A background paper has revealed the actualw amount allocated in the budget for the extreme poor may be even below 1 percent of the GDP.

The success of branchless banking services, like mobile financial services in Bangladesh, helps us to dream of full financial inclusion in future. This is not only because of higher demands by a large population, but also due to the need to have more diversified products of financial services.

Bold and aggressive measures are needed to establish specialised economic zones to attract private investment. Large scale public investments are required for special economic zones. Thus, the call for very ambitious growth target for revenue seems justifiable.

The absence of a rule of law for debt restructuring delays fresh starts and can lead to chaos. That is why no government leaves it to market forces to restructure domestic debts.

We shall invariably see that the Defence Budget will be 'Guillotined' in the evening of June 30 with no discussion on the subject. Military issues have often been shrouded under the cloak of secrecy.

Writing on budget has become a challenge for me not only because so much has already been discussed, but there is barely anything original in the budget.

The future of Europe and the euro now depends on whether the eurozone's political leaders can combine a modicum of economic understanding with a visionary sense of, and concern for, European solidarity.

It is budget time once again. This is the time to do math on national expenditures and income afresh. This is the most important exercise of the Ministry of Finance

WHO does not like a pay increase? The new pay scale - the proposed increase in the salary of government employees - is likely to be implemented in the upcoming fiscal year beginning from next July.

By September, the world's 193 governments will meet in New York and agree on a set of ambitious, global targets for 2030.