Economists have raised concerns over the lack of structural reforms in the national budget unveiled on Monday—something the interim government has been promoting since its formation.
They observed that the budget largely follows the framework of previous years, offering limited attention to long-standing challenges and the pressing need for institutional change.

While appreciating the realistic tone in determining the budget’s overall size, Dr Selim Raihan, executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (SANEM), pointed out the absence of meaningful reform proposals in the institutional framework for budget implementation.
“There is no clear direction for enhancing ministerial capacity or improving coordination in project planning and execution,” Dr Raihan, who also teaches economics at Dhaka University, told Daily Sun in an immediate reaction to the budget.
“Persistent problems—such as weak revenue collection, inefficient public spending, and delays in project implementation—have not been seriously addressed,” he added.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), criticised the interim government for basing the 2025–26 fiscal year budget on inflated growth figures from previous years, thereby creating what he termed a “misleading narrative” of development.
“In the White Paper on the State of the Bangladesh Economy, we clearly demonstrated how the previous government’s base figures were the main villain behind its development narrative—because they presented an exaggerated, unsegmented picture of progress,” he said.
Dr Mahfuz Kabir, research director at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), noted that the proposed budget shifts focus from economic expansion towards regulatory reforms.
“Much like previous years, the proposed budget centres on limiting the revenue target and pursuing regulatory reforms, rather than prioritising economic expansion. I do not believe the IMF prescription is applicable in this context,” Dr Kabir told Daily Sun.
He further said that economic activity is likely to remain stagnant, as the private sector has received less attention in the budget. “Ultimately, this budget is not growth-oriented,” he added.
Policy Exchange Chairman M Masrur Reaz highlighted one positive aspect of the budget: its reduced size, including a smaller Annual Development Programme (ADP), which he said could aid efforts to tackle inflation.
“While the budget has provided higher allocations for LNG imports—which should help manage the industrial gas crisis—and reduced taxes on agricultural storage, overall, there are not enough measures to boost employment or attract private investment.
“In particular, there is little indication or allocation for meaningful reforms,” he told Daily Sun in his immediate reaction.