For FY 23-24, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) reported a revenue collection figure of Tk 289,376 crore, while the Ministry of Finance (MoF) reported Tk 277,925 crore—a significant difference of Tk 11,451 crore. A similar issue is evident in data published by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning (MoP) and the MoF. The IMED reported that ministries utilized Tk 125,315 crore of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) in FY24, while the MoF reported only Tk 92,126 crore, resulting in a gap of Tk 33,189 crore, which even stood at Tk 41,136 crore in the first 10 months of FY23.
A former World Bank lead economist, citing the Planning Adviser, noted that such discrepancies can occur either intentionally, to enhance the government’s image, or due to accounting mistakes. If the former is true, it is crucial to address it for better economic management. The newly appointed NBR Chairman acknowledged the mismatches and stated that he has issued directives to ensure that, under his leadership, no manual reports will be accepted and that such data anarchy will be eradicated.
Source for more details:
