Tk 2.26 lakh crore budget deficit projected in FY26

The proposed budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 has projected a deficit of Tk2,26,000 crore, down from Tk2,56,000 crore in the current fiscal year, representing 3.6 percent of the GDP. 

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said this while presenting the proposed national budget for FY26 through a pre-recorded speech aired through Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar on Monday.

“Although the expenditure on principal and interest payment of foreign loans increased due to the huge depreciation of the Taka against the US dollar during the previous government, our overall budget deficit will remain at a tolerable level,” he said.

“Of the total deficit in the proposed budget, I propose to spend Tk1,25,000 crore from domestic sources and Tk1,01,000 crore from foreign sources,” he added.

The Finance Adviser also said that in the next financial year, the total expenditure on interest payment has been estimated at Tk1,22,000 crore, including Tk1 lakh crore for domestic interest payment and Tk22,000 crore for foreign interest payment.

The budget deficit for the current fiscal year was originally estimated to be Tk2,56,000 crore. In the revised budget, the deficit has been proposed to be Tk2,26,000 crore, which will be 4.1 percent of the GDP. 

“Of the total deficit in the revised budget, I propose to collect Tk1,17,000 crore from domestic sources and Tk1,09,000 crore from foreign sources,” he added.