Sixty daily essential commodities, including rice, edible oil, fish, onions, and salt may become cheaper as the government has proposed to slash source taxes to 0.5 per cent on basic agricultural goods from existing various ranges in the proposed national budget of financial year 2026–27.

Finance minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury placed the proposed budget of Tk 938,000 crore in the parliament on Thursday, which was the first budget of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government after resuming office early this year.

He described the cut on taxes as a major pro-people measure to address the unbearable price pressure in recent years.

Source taxes on basic goods, including rice, wheat, potatoes, livestock, poultry, fish, onions, garlic, ginger, salt, sugar, edible oil, and seeds, have also been slashed to a uniform 0.5 per cent from the existing rates of 5 per cent, 2 per cent, and 1 per cent.

The minister also said that the step would fulfil the democratic government’s electoral pledge to bring tangible relief to ordinary households.