Proposed budget people-, business-friendly: finance adviser

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has said the proposed national budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year is both people- and business-friendly.

However, he acknowledged that it is never entirely possible to make a budget fully business-friendly.

"If taxes are reduced in one area, they must be increased in another. It is also not possible to suddenly increase revenue," he said.

"This time, instead of focusing solely on growth, more emphasis has been placed on making people's lives simpler and more transparent."

He made these remarks today during the post-budget press conference organised by the finance ministry at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.

"For so long, we've emphasised growth. But that growth has not reached all levels of society. We must move away from that and aim to improve people's quality of life. This time, the budget has been formulated based on reality, avoiding mere rhetoric. Efforts have been made to tackle challenges in inflation, banking, the capital market, and the energy sector," said Salehuddin.

He added that the current government has taken office during a very difficult time.

"Some have said the country was in the ICU. Especially the financial sector had nearly collapsed. Through everyone's efforts, it has now been brought to a manageable state. Inflation has been reduced. There is an ongoing effort to bring more relief to the people. Most notably, for the first time, the size of the budget has been reduced."

"Some are calling this budget traditional or a continuation of previous ones. But that is not accurate. A three-year plan has been adopted in this budget. Amid various adversities, there is an attempt to move the country forward. The goal is to make people's lives more transparent and improve their quality of living," the finance adviser said.

"We are engaging in dialogue with various countries and international organisations, and all of them hold a positive view of Bangladesh. There will be criticism in the local media, which is expected. However, if only criticism prevails, we often have to offer explanations to others."

Present at the press conference were Education and Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud; Power, Energy, Roads, Bridges, and Railways Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan; Home and Agriculture Adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury; and Commerce, Aviation, Textiles, and Jute Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin.

Others in attendance included Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur, Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid, National Board of Revenue Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan, and officials from various ministries and agencies.