Flats and houses will become expensive as the government has increased the duties on basic construction materials such as cement, steel and tiles in the proposed budget, said a top executive of a real estate company.
The tax on digital payments tools should be reduced and incentives should be given to encourage electronic payments in a bid to transform the country into a cashless society, said Syed Mohammad Kamal, country manager of Mastercard.
The government should adjust the budget expenses by cutting the allocation under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) and bringing down operating costs in order to contain inflation, said Ahsan H Mansur, executive director of the Policy Research Institute.
If we choose only 10 commodities and measure inflation, the figure will land at no less than 20 percent.
The extension of existing benefits for local consumer electronics industries through the proposed national budget is very encouraging, said Golam Murshed, managing director and chief executive officer of Walton Hi-Tech Industries, yesterday.
The government’s budget should focus on developing inland waterways with a view to cutting goods transportation costs and reducing pressure on roadways, said the top executive of a logistics and container terminal operations management company.
Bangladesh’s budget deficit forecasted by the government for the next fiscal year could be at risk if the growth undershoots the authorities’ relatively optimistic target, said Fitch Ratings.
It is not clear how the money needed to implement this ambitious budget will be sourced.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said her government will be able to implement the Tk 7,61,785-crore national budget for 2023-24 fiscal year.
On paper, Tk 126,272 crore, the amount earmarked for social safety net programmes, looks to be a hefty sum. But the sum flatters to deceive: as much as 60 percent would be going towards those not in dire need.
The budget is only an account of the government's income and expenditure, one can’t expect it to make any fundamental changes to the economic structure.
The chartered accountants' body thinks it would help expand tax net
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday said that though he is worried about the elevated level of consumer prices, the situation is still under the government’s control.
The measures taken in the proposed budget for the next fiscal year have failed to address the most difficult challenge of containing inflation, and as a result, the suffering of common people will increase further, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) said yesterday.
Will cuts in allocations to education and health sectors create an obstacle to becoming a developed country?
The new budget has not displayed cognisance of the need for post-pandemic recovery and remedial actions.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today termed the proposed budget for the next fiscal year unrealistic and said it will not help overcome a dire economic crisis the country is facing now.
