Next budget will focus on controlling inflation: State Minister for Finance

Waseqa Ayesha Khan, state minister for finance, has said in the next national budget the government will emphasise controlling inflation and boosting remittance and exports.

She said this while speaking as the chief guest at a pre-budget roundtable discussion, organised by the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB), to recommend its proposals for the FY2024-25 national budget. The event was held in a hotel in the capital on Tuesday.

The government is also working to create an investment-friendly environment ensuring uninterrupted electricity and power supply, she said.

She also assured that the government will continue to focus on infrastructural, ICT and human resource development, and short- and long-term revenue strategy for sustainable economic growth.

Other speakers at the event also highlighted the need for nuanced adjustments in fiscal and monetary policies to address issues such as exchange rate stability, currency policy, and balancing export-import dynamics.

The importance of encouraging household savings, broadening the tax base, enhancing reserve buffers, and controlling the prices of daily commodities were also focused.

Professor Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin, former governor of Bangladesh Bank, Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur, executive director of the Policy Research Institute (PRI) Mahbubul Alam, president of FBCCI, participated in the discussion  as the special guests.

The discussion was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Md. Salim Uddin FCMA, President of ICMAB, and moderated by Arif Khan FCMA, past president and current council member of the institute.