Special Cabinet Meeting Scheduled with Three Agendas

All attention is now focused on the upcoming national budget, with both public expectations and government calculations shaping the discussion. While citizens are concerned about rising prices of essentials and the increasing cost of living, the government is focused on revenue collection and expenditure management. Tax remains one of the key instruments for raising revenue, although the government is also considering measures to provide some relief for ordinary people. However, revenue needs often take priority.

A special meeting of the Cabinet has been called for tomorrow, Thursday, to approve the draft budget. In line with tradition, the meeting will be held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (National Parliament Building).

The meeting will begin at 10 am During the session, summaries of the draft proposals will be presented. According to parliamentary practice, ministers are usually given sufficient time to thoroughly review proposals before they are presented in Cabinet. However, approving a sensitive and comprehensive document such as the budget in an expedited manner may limit the scope for detailed policy-level scrutiny. Although this does not constitute a direct constitutional violation, it is often viewed as an administrative shortcut from the perspective of transparent parliamentary procedure.

The meeting will consider approval of the revised budget for the outgoing fiscal year along with the ‘Appropriation (Supplementary) Act, 2026.’ It will also review the draft budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year and the ‘Appropriation Act, 2026’ for approval. In addition, proposals related to income tax, customs, VAT, and other revenue collection and management measures for the 2026-27 fiscal year will be placed on the agenda. The revised and proposed budgets have been prepared by the Finance Division, while tax, customs, and VAT-related proposals have been drafted by the Internal Resources Division.

As the name suggests, all members of the Cabinet will attend the meeting. However, advisers and state ministers from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning have been specially invited. Relevant secretaries have also been instructed to be present in the meeting room.

All three agendas are interlinked. The budget is not only a statement of expenditure; it is an integrated framework that ensures both revenue collection and the legal authority to spend public funds. Therefore, in the parliamentary system, approving these three proposals together in the Cabinet before presenting them in Parliament is considered an important administrative step.