The government has proposed the waiving of duty on more than 100 types of raw materials used in the production of cancer drugs in a significant move to improve access to cancer treatment.
Currently, there is a duty of 5-15% on raw materials.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Thursday unveiled a Tk7,61,785 crore proposed national budget for the 2023–24 fiscal year in the national parliament.
In order to make the treatment of cancer patients more affordable, the finance miister propose to include 100 more raw materials of cancer medicines in the existing notification.
The proposed budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 is set at Tk7,61,785 crore. This massive budget has a deficit of Tk2,61,885 crore. The amount of the deficit, excluding grants, is Tk6,61,785 crore, which accounts for 5.2% of the GDP.
Within the proposed budget, Tk1,55,395 crore will be allocated from domestic sources, while Tk1,02,490 crore will be managed from foreign sources.
The budget for the FY24 has set a target inflation rate of 6.5%. It aims to achieve a GDP growth rate of 7%. The government is relying on both domestic and foreign loans to fulfill the significant deficit in the budget.
