The National Citizen Party (NCP) on Friday unveiled a Tk 8.52 trillion shadow budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, outlining an economic reform agenda focused on employment generation, investment and sustainable growth.
Titled *"Bangladesh 2.0: Sustainable Growth through Reform, Employment and Investment,"* the proposed budget was presented at a press conference at the party's temporary central office in Banglamotor, Dhaka. The announcement was made by NCP Chief Organiser for the Southern Region and Member of Parliament Hasnat Abdullah.
According to party leaders, the proposed budget amounts to Tk 8,52,157 crore, representing an increase of Tk 62,157 crore over the current fiscal year. The party aims to keep the budget deficit within 3.09 per cent of GDP while reducing inflation from 9.2 per cent to 8 per cent in the next fiscal year and eventually to 6 per cent.
The NCP proposed increasing the tax-to-GDP ratio from 6.7 per cent to 9.32 per cent through a series of reforms, including linking tax returns with electricity connections, integrating TIN, NID, banking and mobile financial service data, introducing a wealth tax and digitising ports.
Under its proposed tax reforms, the party suggested raising the tax-free income threshold to Tk 450,000 for general taxpayers, Tk 475,000 for women and senior citizens, and Tk 500,000 for persons with disabilities. It also proposed recognising Zakat as a tax rebate and reducing the corporate tax rate from 27.5 per cent to 25 per cent.
Education and employment received the largest allocations in the shadow budget. The party proposed Tk 124,425 crore for education and technology, alongside school feeding programmes, teacher development funds and a plan to create 10 million jobs over the next five years.
The proposed budget also includes increased spending on healthcare, renewable energy and agricultural modernisation, as well as reforms in the banking sector. It further proposes expanded maternity benefits and support for women entrepreneurs.
NCP leaders described the shadow budget as a roadmap for building a corruption-free, investment-friendly and equitable "Bangladesh 2.0".
