IMF seeks details on impact of new salary structure

The Finance Division presented its plan to implement the new salary structure for government employees in a meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation on Sunday. 

Officials said that the new salary structure is to be implemented in stages from this month. 

Necessary allocations have been made in the budget for this purpose. However, the Cabinet will decide in how many stages and to what extent it will be implemented.

An official of the Finance Division told Daily Samakal that the IMF has not given any opinion on this matter. Rather, it wanted to know about its possible impact on budget implementation. 

Meanwhile, while talking to reporters at the Secretariat on Sunday, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru said that the loan programme taken by the previous government with the IMF was “completely against the public interest”.

On Sunday, a 12-member delegation led by IMF Bangladesh Mission Chief Ivo Krosner began meetings with various government departments, including the Finance Ministry, on the new loan programme. Although eight meetings were scheduled throughout the day, the scheduled meeting with the Finance Minister was cancelled following the funeral of former Speaker of the National Assembly and former Acting President Barrister Jamiruddin Sarkar.

Earlier in the day, the delegation met with Finance Secretary Md. Khairuzzaman Majumder. Later, discussions were held with officials of the Finance Division and Bangladesh Bank on the macroeconomic situation, budget, and reform plans.

The Finance Minister told reporters, “Our main concern is not to get loans, but to protect the interests of the country. The government will not go for any programme with the IMF by undermining the interests of the people of the country.” 

He also said that as an elected government, protecting the interests of the people and the country’s economy is the government’s top priority. Therefore, the interests of the people of Bangladesh will be 100 per cent protected in every condition of the new programme.

The government expects to receive a loan of 4 billion to 4.5 billion dollars under the new three-year programme. This money will be used to maintain macroeconomic stability and cope with foreign financing pressures. To this end, on June 9, the Finance Minister wrote to the IMF, stating that the economic reality at the time of the previous programme has changed. Although some reforms are difficult to implement due to political economy, global uncertainty, and new challenges, the government wants to move forward with reforms step by step in line with reality.

In January 2023, the Awami League government signed a 4.7 billion dollar loan agreement with the IMF, which was increased to 5.5 billion dollars in June 2025. Under the programme, Bangladesh received 3.64 billion dollars in five instalments, but the sixth instalment was not released, and the programme was eventually cancelled with the consent of both parties.

In Sunday’s meeting, the medium-term budget framework, revenue collection, subsidies, social security programmes, financing of development projects, and the cost of family cards and farmers’ cards were also discussed.