The Revolutionary Communist League of Bangladesh has sharply criticized the newly announced national budget, describing it as a debt-dependent and elite-friendly fiscal plan that fails to address the aspirations of ordinary people or provide solutions to the country's pressing economic challenges.

In a statement issued on Friday, the party's Central General Secretary, Comrade Iqbal Kabir Zahid, said that despite extensive rhetoric from the post-uprising elected BNP government, the Tk 938,000 crore budget does not reflect the promises made to the people.

He noted that the budget carries a deficit of Tk 243,000 crore, which the government plans to finance through domestic and foreign borrowing. According to Zahid, the burden of repaying those loans will ultimately fall on the public, while excessive government borrowing could also discourage private-sector investment.

Although the government has earmarked Tk 316,000 crore for development expenditure, the budget does not specify how much will be allocated to productive sectors, he said.

Like previous budgets, he argued, a significant portion of spending is likely to be directed toward infrastructure projects rather than sectors that directly improve livelihoods and generate sustainable economic growth.

The Revolutionary Communist League leader criticized what he described as the government's inadequate commitment to education, saying that budgetary allocations for the sector have increased only marginally and remain far below expectations.

He also pointed out the absence of any clear strategy to address student dropout rates and noted that no allocation has been made to support the creative and intellectual development of students and young people outside formal education.

Zahid further argued that the budget offers no concrete roadmap for reducing inflation or controlling rising prices. Instead, he warned that the budget's reliance on borrowing could fuel further inflationary pressures.

He also expressed concern that proposed tax measures would increase the prices of bicycles and household electronic appliances, placing additional burdens on middle-income families.

Highlighting the importance of agriculture, he said that nearly 45 percent of Bangladesh's working population is directly or indirectly dependent on the sector.

Yet only Tk 43,335 crore has been allocated for agriculture, fisheries, and livestock combined. Such limited funding, he argued, would hinder agricultural modernization, as well as the preservation, processing, and value addition of farm products.

The statement also criticized the continuation of provisions allowing the legalization of undisclosed wealth, commonly known as "whitening black money," calling the measure unconstitutional and incompatible with the spirit of accountability and transparency.

Zahid further questioned the government's ambitious revenue targets, saying the budget provides no clear strategy for achieving them. He alleged that source taxes benefiting wealthier groups had been reduced, while the burden of indirect taxation on ordinary citizens remained largely unchanged.

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