Parliament on Tuesday passed a Tk9,38,000 crore national budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, setting ambitious targets to accelerate economic growth to 6.5 percent and reduce inflation to 7.5 percent after prolonged price pressures eroded living standards for much of the population.
The budget, the first presented by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, is 19 percent larger than the Tk7,90,000 crore budget for the current fiscal year.
The fiscal deficit has been projected at Tk2,43,000 crore, equivalent to 3.6 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), while the overall budget size represents 13.7 percent of the projected GDP for FY2026-27.
As part of the government's economic roadmap, the finance minister unveiled a "3R Strategy" aimed at reviving the economy and supporting Bangladesh's ambition of becoming a US$1 trillion economy.
The strategy comprises Recovery and Stabilisation, Restoration, and Reconstruction for Acceleration, and will be implemented in three phases over a period of one to five years.
The budget sets a revenue collection target of Tk6,95,000 crore, of which the National Board of Revenue (NBR) is expected to collect Tk6,04,000 crore.
To facilitate implementation of the budget, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury moved the Appropriation Bill, 2026, seeking parliamentary authorisation for government expenditure amounting to Tk15,15,439 crore. The bill was passed by voice vote.
Earlier on Monday, Parliament passed the Finance Bill, 2026 with several significant amendments, including raising the tax-free income threshold and abolishing the provision requiring the disclosure of investments.
Before the passage of the Appropriation Bill, the ministers concerned presented justifications for expenditure under their respective ministries through 59 demands for grants covering both development and non-development spending.
The House also rejected, by voice vote, 1,343 cut motions submitted by opposition lawmakers against the 59 demands for grants.
A total of 43 MPs from Jamaat, the National Citizen Party (NCP) and independent members moved the cut motions and participated in discussions on 36 ministries and divisions.
At the request of Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman, the Speaker expedited the passage of the demands for grants by imposing the guillotine.
Opposition and independent MPs were present in the House when the Appropriation Bill was passed and did not object to its adoption.