TIB warns black money amnesty in budget
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Thursday voiced alarm over reports that the government is considering reintroducing a provision in the FY2026-27 budget that would allow undisclosed income to be legalised through an unconditional amnesty — shielded from scrutiny by any state authority, including the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the National Board of Revenue.
TIB warned that the move would “effectively normalise corruption and irregularities under state patronage” and called for the permanent abolition of the provision.
In a statement, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said successive governments since independence had maintained mechanisms for legalising black money, in violation of Article 20(2) of the Constitution.
The practice, he said, expanded significantly under the previous authoritarian regime, which offered legalisation either without question or at concessional tax rates — ostensibly to boost short-term revenue, but with the long-term consequence of entrenching tax evasion and penalising honest taxpayers.
He noted that the interim government formed after the July Uprising had gradually wound down the facility. Reinstating it now, he said, would represent a step backwards and grant “institutional legitimacy to corruption,” placing the current government in a contradictory position given its stated anti-graft commitments.
Iftekharuzzaman pointed to Clause 67 of the National July Charter 2025, under which BNP and other political parties pledged to eliminate opportunities for unearned income. He also cited BNP’s own commitment to making “no compromise with corruption,” including through reforms to the ACC.
Media reports, however, suggest the proposed budget may include a provision granting blanket immunity from inquiry by the ACC, the NBR, or any other authority for those seeking to whiten undisclosed funds. The ACC Reform Commission’s Recommendation 3 has itself called for the permanent abolition of such a facility, he added.
On separate reports that the government is weighing a general amnesty to facilitate repatriation of laundered assets from abroad, TIB said such a measure could be considered only under strict conditions — specifically, that individuals involved in laundering illegally obtained funds must be excluded, and that those already facing money laundering cases remain fully subject to legal accountability.
Iftekharuzzaman cautioned that a similar scheme under the previous government had failed to produce meaningful results and was not renewed. He urged the present administration to honour its anti-corruption pledges by refraining from introducing what TIB described as an “unconstitutional, discriminatory and corruption-facilitating provision.”
The government has not yet formally presented the budget or responded to TIB’s concerns.
