Opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and United Democratic Front (UDF) Monday took turns in punching holes in the 2025-26 national budget, describing it as “unrealistic”.

But in an interview, Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda hit back at the DPP, accusing the party of “messing up the economy” through over-borrowing, eroding donor confidence and presenting “fictitious reports to International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Presenting DPP’s reaction to the budget, Thyolo Central lawmaker Ben Malunga Phiri said the 2025-26 budget framework fell short of inspiring hope.

He added that it was unrealistic and hard to implement.

He said at K8.05 trillion, the budget was “too exorbitant and too ambitious” because revenue generation, at K5.5 trillion, was low.

“Fellow Malawians, you can see for yourself that this budget is a big lie. The budget has a deficit of K2.47 trillion. Where will the money to fill the deficit come from? Again, borrowing is the only answer.

“Malawians, you must be worried because MCP [Malawi Congress Party] is ready to put more debt burden on your shoulders and a yoke of debt around the necks of your children.

“Fellow Malawians, the 2025-26 budget is unrealistic due to its continued overreliance on donor support at a time global dynamics point to heavy deductions in foreign aid. The budget is counting on K1.14 trillion of donor grants. Recently, USaid [United States Agency for International Development] announced closure.

“Unfortunately, we are yet to be addressed on how the government intends to manage job loses due to the cut with about 5,000 Malawians affected, [they have not told us] how they intend to fund the services that were previously funded by USaid,” Phiri said.

He added that the United Kingdom government, too, had announced that it would reduce budget spending, with international development or foreign aid experiencing cuts.

“Malawians, you must expect more economic trouble. What kind of government is this that has the guts to increase budget expenditures at a time when revenues are falling?

“Malawians, forget about Malawi 2063. The structure of the 2025-26 budget has little to offer in implementation of the Malawi 2063 vision,” he said.

On his part, UDF spokesperson on finance Ishmael Nkumba said the national budget had wrong assumptions on economic growth rates.

Nkumba added that the UDF was not convinced that economic transformation, characterised by a 3.2 percent growth rate, would be attainable.

“We are concerned about the prolonged imbalance of