Bangladesh’s Revolutionary Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque has said that the proposal to legalize black money in the new national budget will encourage renewed economic corruption. In a statement sent to the media on Thursday as an initial reaction to the proposed budget, he described the fiscal plan as a half-hearted attempt to meet public expectations within limited capacity, warning that the large deficit will ultimately burden ordinary citizens.

Haque noted that the government’s reliance on bank borrowing is likely to increase and that the ambitious revenue target of Tk 6.95 trillion will determine the success of budget implementation. He described the GDP growth target of 6.5 percent as modest and the inflation reduction goal of 7.5 percent as realistic, emphasizing that unchecked inflation would undermine public welfare. He urged greater incentives for domestic investment, reopening closed factories, and promoting labor-intensive industries to create jobs.

He also criticized the continuation of the black money whitening policy, saying it perpetuates economic wrongdoing. Haque added that allocations for education and health remain inadequate and called for increased funding for key sectors such as industry and agriculture.