Jatiya Sangsad has approved a national budget of Tk938,000 crore for the 2026-27 financial year, setting out the government’s economic priorities with a focus on boosting growth, reducing inflation and supporting long-term development.
The budget, passed in the Jatiya Sangsad on Tuesday, targets economic growth of 6.5 per cent while aiming to bring inflation down to 7.5 per cent during the next fiscal year.
It is the first budget presented by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury since the BNP returned to power following its decisive victory in the general election held on 12 February.
It is also the first national budget delivered by a BNP-led government since the 2006-07 fiscal year, when the late finance minister M Saifur Rahman presented the country’s spending plan.
At Tk938,000 crore, the new budget is around 19 per cent larger than the original Tk790,000 crore budget for the current financial year.
The government has projected a fiscal deficit of Tk243,000 crore, equivalent to 3.6 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Overall public expenditure is estimated to account for 13.7 per cent of projected GDP in the coming fiscal year.
As part of its broader economic agenda, the finance minister introduced a new ‘3R Strategy’, designed to strengthen economic stability and support Bangladesh’s long-term ambition of becoming a US$1 trillion economy.
The strategy will be implemented in three stages over one to five years and consists of recovery and stabilisation, restoration, and reconstruction for acceleration.
The budget sets a revenue collection target of Tk695,000 crore, with the National Board of Revenue (NBR) expected to contribute Tk604,000 crore.
To facilitate government spending, Parliament also approved the Appropriation Bill 2026, authorising expenditure amounting to Tk15,154.39 crore. The bill was passed by a voice vote.
Earlier this week, lawmakers also approved the Finance Bill 2026 after incorporating several amendments.
These include raising the tax-free income threshold and removing the requirement for taxpayers to disclose investment information.
Before the Appropriation Bill was adopted, ministers presented expenditure proposals for their respective ministries under 59 separate demands for grants covering both development and operational spending.
The House subsequently rejected 1,343 cut motions submitted by opposition lawmakers against those spending proposals.
A total of 43 members from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party (NCP) and independent MPs proposed the motions and took part in debates covering 36 ministries, divisions and government offices.
The 36 ministries, divisions and offices included in the opposition’s list for cut motions are: the Prime Minister’s Office, Cabinet Division, Ministry of Public Administration, Bangladesh Public Service Commission Secretariat, Finance Division, Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh, Internal Resources Division, Financial Institutions Division, Economic Relations Division, Planning Division, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Law and Justice Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Secondary and Higher Education Division, Ministry of Science and Technology, Health Services Division, Information and Communication Technology Division, Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Land, Ministry of Water Resources, Road Transport and Highways Division, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Posts and Telecommunications Division, and the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Following a request from opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman, the Speaker accelerated the approval of the remaining demands for grants through the parliamentary guillotine procedure.
Opposition and independent lawmakers remained in the chamber during the final vote on the appropriation bill and did not raise any objection to its passage.
The parliamentary sitting was chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikram, bringing the legislative process for the 2026-27 national budget to a close.
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