DSCC unveils Tk4,004.6cr budget; revenue earnings decline

The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) on Thursday unveiled a Tk4,004.60 crore budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, with the highest allocation earmarked for road and infrastructure development.
DSCC Administrator Freedom Fighter Md Abdus Salam announced the budget at Nagar Bhaban. The budget had earlier been approved at the corporation's 14th meeting on 26 July.
The proposed budget is higher than both the original FY26 budget of Tk3,841.38 crore and the revised outlay of Tk3,138.77 crore.
The city corporation's revenue earnings have declined significantly over the past two fiscal years. DSCC collected Tk988.75 crore in FY24, which fell to Tk744 crore in FY25, a decline the authorities attributed to the country’s political instability.
The revised revenue collection target for FY26 was Tk1,170.73 crore, while the target for FY27 has been set at Tk1,415.41 crore.
According to the budget, the opening balance has been estimated at Tk730.93 crore, with revenue income projected at Tk1,815.74 crore and development income at Tk1,457.93 crore.
Around 48% of the total budget, or Tk1,904.42 crore, has been allocated for development activities. Of this, Tk806.49 crore will be spent on infrastructure construction and development through the corporation's own funds.
The largest allocation under this head — Tk526.60 crore — has been earmarked for roads and highways. Another Tk554.84 crore has been allocated for government-funded development projects under the Development Project Proposal (DPP).
The budget also allocates Tk121.66 crore for the health sector, including Tk4.26 crore for hospitals, healthcare services and maternity care. A further Tk34.30 crore has been earmarked for social welfare and slum development.
The corporation has allocated Tk965.71 crore for salaries, allowances and establishment expenses of its officers and employees.
Meanwhile, the allocation for cleanliness and sanitation has been increased sharply to Tk327 crore, nearly four times the Tk80.38 crore provided in the revised budget for the previous fiscal year.
For FY27, DSCC expects to collect Tk 941.09 crore from taxes, accounting for about 52% of its total revenue income. The remaining revenue is expected to come from trade licences, road excavation fees, advertisement tax, shop rentals, leases of public toilets, other fees and charges, as well as government grants and foreign-funded development projects.
Presenting the budget, Abdus Salam said the corporation had prepared "a rational and implementable budget instead of a big and ambitious one."
He said no new taxes had been imposed and existing tax rates had not been increased. Instead, the corporation had identified new revenue sources and reduced unnecessary expenditure to strengthen its own income.
The administrator said the budget prioritises balanced area-wise development, mitigation of waterlogging, dengue control, environmental protection, road and traffic improvements, and enhanced civic services.