Ambitious revenue target may trigger taxpayers' harassment: MCCI
MCCI president stressed that the key objective was not to examine isolated budget proposals, but to explore how the budget can be successfully implemented
Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) today (17 June) cautioned that the government's ambitious revenue mobilisation target for fiscal year 2026-27 could expose taxpayers to harassment at the field level as the National Board of Revenue (NBR) collected only 65% of its revised target in the outgoing fiscal year.
MCCI President Kamran T Rahman raised the concern while delivering the welcome address at a post-budget discussion jointly organised by MCCI, Standard Chartered Bangladesh and the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) at the M Anis Ud Dowla Conference Hall of MCCI's office in Gulshan, Dhaka.
The budget has set a revenue collection target of Tk6.95 lakh crore, which represents a growth of over 18.2% compared to the current fiscal year's revised target.
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"NBR managed to collect only Tk3.27 lakh crore, or 65% of the revised target, up to April of FY2025-26," Kamran said. "Achieving the new revenue target without comprehensive structural reforms will be extremely difficult, and the pressure to do so may lead to harassment of taxpayers at the field level."
He, however, acknowledged that the proposed budget, the first full-year budget of the newly elected government, contains several business-friendly reform proposals, including modernisation of tax and revenue administration, digitalisation, and ease of doing business measures.
The MCCI president stressed that the key objective of the day's forum was not to examine isolated budget proposals, but to explore how the budget can be successfully implemented by broadening the tax base rather than imposing additional burdens on specific sectors or existing taxpayers.
"The national budget is not merely a statement of government income and expenditure; it is a reflection of a country's economic priorities, development strategy, and future direction," Kamran said.
The budget comes at a time when the global economy continues to grapple with geopolitical uncertainty, trade tensions, and structural economic challenges, he added.
He said MCCI remains committed to fostering open and constructive dialogue among the government, private sector, and other stakeholders on key national economic issues.
Kamran expressed hope that the deliberations from the forum, held ahead of the budget's final approval in Parliament, would enrich the policymaking process and provide actionable guidance to the relevant authorities.
