EWU holds seminar on budget

A seminar titled 'National Budget 2026-27: Priorities and Perspectives' was held at the East West University (EWU) in the capital on Thursday.

Three renowned economists of the country attended the seminar and presented their expert opinions on how the national budget would impact ordinary citizens, students, businesses, and future of the country's economy.

Professor Dr. Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), presented the keynote paper at the event. He noted that many positive initiatives, including tariff reductions, have been taken in this budget to facilitate smoother export sector and business operations.

However, he pointed out that while revenue collection is falling short in the current fiscal year, achieving an additional 18 per cent revenue collection target is nearly impossible.

Expressing concern over the rising cost of debt servicing, he warned that the country might fall into a long-term debt trap when the principal payments for mega projects come due.

Professor Dr. A. K. Enamul Haque, Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), noted that pervasive corruption must be curbed for the benefits of the proposed budget to reach the general public. In this regard, he advised the government to take appropriate initiatives to introduce a 'cashless' transaction system across the country.

Professor Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin, former Governor of the Bangladesh Bank and Chairperson of the EWU Board of Trustees, welcomed the budget's maiden inclusion of benefits for the elderly population.

However, he noted that there are no specific measures to address the country's growing inequality. He also suggested that the government could take tough decisions, such as extracting coal in Dinajpur, to mitigate the energy shortage.

Additionally, the speakers emphasised proper implementation of the budget to achieve goals related to education, employment, inflation control, LDC graduation, and sustainable economic growth.