Budget Traditional, Lacks Guidelines to Address Covid-19 Issues: CPD

Terming the proposed budget for 2020-21 FY traditional, the Centre for Policy Dialog (CPD), a leading think tank, said on Friday that poverty alleviation, discrimination and job creation should have been given priority in the budget rather than GDP growth. 

The think tank made the observation at a virtual press briefing on the proposed FY2020-21 national budget on Friday

"We should give the lives and livelihoods of citizens the utmost priority. We need to spend more on tackling the coronavirus situation. But there is a doubt about NBR's revenue collection, "said Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, CPD at an online briefing.

She also says that the budget is traditional and that there are no guidelines for addressing the different issues caused by coronavirus outbreaks.

CPD on Thursday said the proposed budget for 2020-21 was announced with a 'weak structure' as resource collection target in the budget is not realistic amid the existing situation of Covid-19.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal placed the proposed budget of Tk 568,000 crore in Parliament on Thursday.

The revenue collection target has been set at Tk378,000 crore. Of the amount, NBR has been tasked with realizing the revenue collection target of Tk330,000 crore, the non-NBR revenue collection target is Tk15,000 crore, while the non-tax revenue collection target is Tk33,000 crore.

Source: UNB