With a rush of words, the budget was not made: Advisor for finance
According to Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed, his government created the budget in the face of several obstacles, such as high inflation, a banking crisis, and inadequate tax collection.
"I did not write a lot of words to construct the budget. We had to operate in difficult circumstances, including excessive inflation, issues with the banking and energy industries, and inadequate revenue collection. The budget still needed to be created in spite of everything. The budget's overall size has not been raised for the first time," he continued.
The financial adviser said these things during the finance ministry's post-budget press conference, which was held Tuesday afternoon at the capital's Osmani Memorial Auditorium the day after the budget for the 2025–2026 fiscal year was unveiled.
Attendees included Bangladesh Bank governor Ahsan H. Mansur, finance secretary Md. Khairuzzaman Mozumder, agriculture and home adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, power and energy adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, commerce adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin, cabinet secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid, planning adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud, and the chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Md. Abdur Rahman Khan.
At the event, everyone spoke except Sheikh Abdur Rashid, the cabinet secretary.
Attendees included managing directors of state-owned banks, as well as secretaries, assistant secretaries, and joint secretaries from other ministries and divisions.
The finance and planning advisers spoke for the first half hour of the press conference, which started at 3 p.m.
A question-and-answer period ensued, lasting until 4:30 p.m. This post-budget press meeting usually lasts two hours, but today it ended after an hour and a half, which prevented many journalists from asking questions.
The finance adviser began by saying, "We have put the budget before the nation—because we are committed to doing so—because there is no national parliament at the moment."
"We have assumed office at a challenging time," he added. We have assumed responsibility, not authority, and at a pivotal point in the nation's history.
"Many believed the country was in the intensive care unit, teetering on the edge—especially in terms of financial management," the finance consultant continued. Things would have become even worse if we had not intervened at that moment. However, by working together, we have succeeded in putting the nation in a comparatively stable position.
He made the argument that although resources are scarce, demands are far higher.
Bringing in foreign resources, addressing global issues, the status of the banking industry, the capital market, and law and order—all of these factors combined to create a chaotic environment. "We have had to operate in this setting," stated Salehuddin Ahmed, a finance expert.
"The reforms we have undertaken are ongoing," he continued, referring to these difficulties. We will make every effort. But we want to make an impression. Hopefully, the remainder will be implemented by those that follow us.
"Up until now, you have largely heard narratives of growth—who truly profited from that?" Salehuddin Ahmed asked reporters. We have made an effort to shift our perspective, and the budget was created with an emphasis on enhancing people's quality of life, boosting their spending power, and making sure that companies can stay open."
He added, "Based on the demands of the people, we are trying to improve tax collection and restructure the NBR. This budget seems to be both business-friendly and people-friendly at first look. Some have said that we are replicating earlier initiatives. However, the truth is that we cannot enact a radical budget or experience a sharp increase in revenue overnight. We are taking things one step at a time and building on our progress."
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