KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress Whip Nishkal Rai has accused Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle of undermining Parliament by repeatedly altering tax rates included in the Finance Bill after it had already been tabled in the House of Representatives.
Speaking during Thursday’s discussion on the annual estimates of revenue and expenditure, Rai said there are established policies, procedures and legal mechanisms for amending the Finance Bill, and questioned the rationale behind repeated changes to tax rates.
He argued that the revisions amounted to interference in Parliament’s authority, alleging that the Finance Minister had effectively “taken scissors to the powers of Parliament.”
Rai questioned why the tax rates were altered and whether the changes were the result of incompetence or were made to serve vested interests.
He further claimed that modifying or correcting provisions in a bill already presented to Parliament at one’s own discretion was equivalent to an act against parliamentary sovereignty and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
The remarks come amid mounting controversy over amendments to tax provisions in the Finance Bill, particularly those related to customs duties and electric vehicles, which have drawn criticism from opposition lawmakers.
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