Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam has said that he is not giving much weight to the opposition’s criticism regarding the proposed budget for 2026-27 fiscal year.
He said there has been little negative criticism in the Parliament, with members instead expressing certain apprehensions. He also expressed confidence that fears of a revenue deficit would not materialise due to various government initiatives.
The minister was speaking during a session on Sunday on the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2026-27.
Rabiul highlighted that approximately 30 per cent of the budget has been allocated to social infrastructure, about 26 per cent to general services, and over 18 per cent to physical infrastructure.
He emphasised that these allocations are designed to support human resource development, social security, and the management of economic crises.
Rabiul further detailed a shift in fiscal strategy, noting that the government has reduced operating expenditure to increase development spending. In the previous fiscal year, operating expenditure stood at 72.7 per cent, which has been lowered to 66.3 per cent in the new budget.
Conversely, development expenditure has been raised from 27.3 per cent to 33.7 per cent. With an allocation of over Tk3 lakh crore for Annual Development Programme (ADP), the government has granted development the highest priority.
Addressing concerns over revenue shortfalls, Rabiul cited the implementation of e-challans for revenue collection, the reduction of tax exemptions, the identification of tax evasion, and reforms in the VAT structure as measures that will prevent a deficit.
He added that reliance on bank loans has been decreased. The borrowing target from the banking sector, which was Tk1.18 lakh crore in the last fiscal year, has been lowered to Tk1.12 lakh crore in the proposed budget.
