BNP to place 13th national budget today

The BNP government is set to present today its first national budget since returning to power following its landslide victory in the 13th national parliamentary elections held on 12 February this year.

The total outlay of the budget is likely to be set at Tk9.38 lakh crore, the largest national budget in the country’s history. It will also mark the first budget under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and the first to be presented by Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury as finance minister.

Although it is the first budget of the current administration, it will be the 13th national budget presented by a BNP-led government overall.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury is scheduled to present his maiden national budget for the fiscal year FY2026-27 in the Jatiya Sangsad at 3:00pm on Thursday (11 June), aiming to advance Bangladesh’s transition towards a more investment-driven and “trillion-dollar economy” through higher growth targets, regulatory reforms and expanded fiscal measures.

According to Finance Division sources, total expenditure for the upcoming fiscal year has been proposed at Tk9.38 lakh crore, up from the revised outlay of Tk7.88 lakh crore for FY2025–26. The increase represents a rise of around 19% over the current fiscal year. The original expenditure target for FY2025–26 was Tk7.90 lakh crore.

Of the proposed expenditure, Tk6.06 lakh crore has been allocated for recurrent spending, including salaries and allowances of government employees, interest payments on loans, subsidies, incentives and cash transfers. Only Tk3.16 lakh crore has been earmarked for development expenditure.

The budget is expected to outline the government’s economic priorities for the coming year amid ongoing challenges related to inflation, revenue mobilisation and investment.