Big budget creates big corruption opportunities: Nahid Islam
Revenue target of Tk6,09,000cr is unrealistic and impossible to achieve, he argues
The National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener and Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam has alleged that a larger budget simply creates greater opportunities for corruption, with party MPs receiving allocations under various government programmes without any transparency or accountability.
"The proposed national budget is unrealistic, overly ambitious, and creates opportunities for large-scale corruption," he said today (12 June) while speaking to journalists at the Chattogram Circuit House.
Nahid said the Tk9,38,000 crore budget announced yesterday, with a revenue target of approximately Tk6,09,000 crore, cannot be achieved under the current tax structure and administration.
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"Bangladesh has never collected this much revenue in its history. In the last budget, revenue collection was just over Tk3,00,000 crore – doubling that in a single year is impossible," he added.
The NCP leader further said the party had presented a shadow budget before the announcement that could have served as a guide, but the government ignored it.
Acknowledging some positives – increased allocations for education, health, and social safety nets, and tax reductions on certain goods – he said the budget would not be implementable given unprecedented price hikes and rising electricity costs.
Nahid noted that the finance minister's speech contained no clear direction on recovering money from loan defaulters, prosecuting those who looted during the Awami League era, or repatriating laundered funds.
"Figures such as S Alam, who he said looted public money and fled abroad, were absent from any accountability framework in the budget – and claimed attempts are being made to return Islami Bank to S Alam's control," he alleged.
The opposition chief whip identified three fundamental problems facing the economy – the fragile banking sector, inequitable contracts in the energy and power sector, and the youth employment crisis – and said the budget offers no solutions.
Borrowing from banks to cover the deficit will crowd out private investment and worsen unemployment, he warned.
On the Awami League, Nahid said the organisation is a banned terrorist group and will be tried collectively through tribunal proceedings. "Any failure by the administration to act against provocative media campaigns by the party would constitute a violation of the law."
He also called on Chattogram City Corporation and the administration to take swift action to address the city's chronic waterlogging problem.
