Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has sharply criticized the interim government’s proposed national budget for the fiscal year 2025–26, calling it fundamentally flawed and inconsistent with the country’s revenue capacity.
The party also warned that the heavy reliance on domestic and foreign loans to finance the budget would ultimately damage the national economy.
BNP Standing Committee Member and former Commerce Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury made the remarks during an immediate reaction to the budget at an event held in Dhaka’s Banani on Monday.
“We don’t see any qualitative change in this proposed budget,” said Khasru. “It follows the same principles as previous ones — only the numbers have shifted slightly, but the structure and underlying philosophy remain unchanged.”
He argued that the budget’s scale has outpaced the government’s revenue-generating ability, stating, “The revenue we collect is now barely enough to cover operational expenses. Development spending is being funded almost entirely through loans, both domestic and foreign, which increases the debt burden and limits the scope for real development due to rising interest payments.”
Khasru emphasized the need for a revenue-based approach to budgeting, which he said would ensure liquidity in the private sector, encourage investment, and reduce dependence on foreign debt. “We haven’t moved away from our past mistakes. The budget is disconnected from our actual revenue reality. This disconnection is a core problem that remains unaddressed,” he said.
He added that if the entire revenue is used up in operating costs, then development activities become dependent on borrowing — a trend that, if continued, could have long-term negative effects on economic stability.
The BNP leader concluded by warning that the current budget model would leave future governments with significant economic challenges. “This budget doesn’t introduce structural reform or shift away from the path taken by the previous administration. The continuation of the same flawed principles will make it difficult for any incoming government to chart a new course,” he said.
