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.

Bangladesh has reached a point where social protection can no longer be treated as a set of small compensatory programmes for the poor.

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.

Money-printing, or monetary expansion, is often described in a way that makes it sound as if the government runs a printing press.

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

The finance minister is set to present his government’s first national budget on June 11. Expectations are high—and for several reasons.

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 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 entering this budget cycle under significant pressure.

The government should reduce import duties on solar equipment in the upcoming budget for fiscal year 2026-27 to encourage wider adoption of renewable energy and help exporters meet international compliance requirements, said Vidiya Amrit Khan, vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

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.

The business community wants to see the government prioritise energy security, banking stability and practical reforms in the upcoming budget for fiscal year 2026-27, Taskeen Ahmed, the president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), has said.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) seeks at least 10 percent higher value-added tax (VAT) collection from businesses each year, regardless of whether their sales grow, according to Riad Mahmud, president of the Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies (BAPLC). He said the practice has created a “double whammy” for manufacturers already strained by years of overlapping economic shocks.

The budget, by all accounts, will be a large one

The upcoming national budget should avoid imposing any new taxes on food products consumed by ordinary people, said Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, chairman of PRAN-RFL Group, one of the country’s largest food and beverage companies.

Private commercial banks need stronger legal backing rather than financial support in the next national budget to restore confidence in the banking sector and protect depositors, according to the Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB).

The country is going through a difficult period due to both domestic and global shocks, and the upcoming national budget must respond to those mounting economic pressures while pushing through essential reforms, according to economists and business leaders.