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At the same time, rising government expenditures have not been matched by local revenue collection, with Bangladesh’s tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio remaining alarmingly low.

Currently, Bangladesh’s tax-to-GDP ratio stands at around 8 percent—far behind India’s 12 percent and Nepal’s 17 percent. The country’s ratio is also significantly lower than the Asia-Pacific average of 19 percent and the 25 percent average for developing nations.

Government spending under the ADP stood at Tk 24,058 crore in the first five months of the fiscal year, down from Tk 32,773 crore in the same period last year, according to finance ministry data.

However, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) reported Tk 30,818 crore in ADP spending for the July-December period, revealing a mismatch of Tk 6,760 crore.

Usually, IMED compiles data from ministries and divisions, while the finance ministry reports actual disbursements through its iBAS++ system.

Meanwhile, development spending under the revenue budget stood at Tk 571 crore, up from Tk 192 crore a year earlier.