Article 68 Pay and privileges of MPs
Remuneration, etc., of members of Parliament
Public money pays MPs, so the rule that their pay and benefits must be fixed openly by Act gives taxpayers a record of what is paid and why. Changes are debated in the House and published as law.
When remuneration or allowances need to change, a Bill is brought to Parliament. Because it involves public money, it is introduced on the President's recommendation under Article 82. Members then debate and vote on it like any other Bill.
Once enacted, the amounts become part of government spending. MPs' remuneration is not among the items Article 88 charges on the Consolidated Fund, so the money is voted through the annual budget process. The cost appears in the budget for Parliament's expenditure each year.
If no Act is in force on a point, the President may make an order fixing the remuneration, allowances or privileges. That order lasts only until Parliament makes its own provision by Act. Once an Act covers the point, the Act prevails and the order falls away.
In plain English
How Article 68 works
Article 68 says Members of Parliament are entitled to remuneration, allowances and privileges set by an Act of Parliament. Until Parliament passes such an Act, the President may fix them by order. In practice, MPs' pay, allowances and benefits are set out in legislation that Parliament itself passes and amends from time to time. The article does not fix any amount. It only decides who has the power to set the figures and how. The Eighth Amendment of 1988 replaced the word "salaries" with "remuneration", a wider term that covers more than basic pay.
In practice
MPs' remuneration and allowances are governed by an Act of Parliament on members' remuneration and allowances, amended several times since the 1970s, together with rules on travel, housing and other benefits. Increases have tended to attract press scrutiny. The presidential fallback in Article 68 has little practical role because an Act has long been in place. Any change to pay must go through a Bill debated and passed in the House.
The text
What Article 68 says
68. Members of Parliament shall be entitled to such [remuneration], allowances and privileges as may be determined by Act of Parliament or, until so determined, by order made by the President.
English text as published on the official Laws of Bangladesh website. The Bangla text is authoritative (Article 153). Where a court has changed the position, the status note above explains it.
History
Amendments
- Eighth Amendment 1988 →Substituted the word "remuneration" for "salaries".
Connected provisions
Related articles
Questions
Article 68: frequently asked questions
Who decides the salary of MPs in Bangladesh?
Parliament does, by Act, under Article 68. The article lets the President fix remuneration, allowances and privileges by order only until Parliament makes provision by law, so the amounts are set and changed through legislation debated in the House.
Is MPs' pay charged on the Consolidated Fund?
No. Article 88 charges the remuneration of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker on the Consolidated Fund, but not that of ordinary MPs. Their remuneration is therefore met through expenditure voted by Parliament in the annual budget.
Sources
This guide explains the Constitution for general understanding. It is not legal advice. Constitutional reform proposals under discussion in 2026 are described as proposals until enacted.
Constitutional and writ practice
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