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Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, the Finance Adviser of the interim government, has announced that the 2025-26 fiscal year budget will not include any provision for whitening black money. He made this statement during a press conference following the approval of the national budget on Sunday, June 22, 2025. “We will ensure proper utilization of loan funds and do not intend to burden future generations with excessive debt,” he said.
The proposed national budget of BDT 7.90 lakh crore for the 2025-26 fiscal year was approved in a meeting of the Advisory Council chaired by Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus. This budget is BDT 7,000 crore less than the current 2024-25 fiscal year’s budget. The budget was presented by Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed via television on June 2.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been tasked with collecting BDT 4.99 lakh crore in revenue. The budget deficit is set at 3.6% of GDP, which will be financed through domestic and foreign loans. The interim government aims to achieve a 5.5% growth rate through this budget.
Following public criticism, the provision for whitening black money through flat purchases and building construction has been withdrawn. The budget formulation process included public feedback through the Finance Ministry’s website, as well as consultations with business chambers and associations through meetings and press conferences.
In contrast, the original 2024-25 fiscal year budget allocated BDT 7.97 lakh crore to 62 ministries and divisions. In the revised budget, allocations for 10 ministries and divisions increased to BDT 1.30 lakh crore, while the allocations for the remaining 52 either decreased or remained unchanged.
The budget implementation is set to begin on July 1. Due to the absence of a functioning parliament, public discussions on the budget were limited, but the government emphasized incorporating public feedback into the process.
AI/MR
