Sudurpaschim Province issues ordinance for immediate tax collection

DHANGADHI, Aug 8: The Sudurpaschim Province government has issued an ordinance to enable immediate revenue collection, addressing the budget vacuum that has persisted since July 16.

On Wednesday, Minister Bahadur Singh Thapa, representing the Ministry of Economic Affairs, presented the Sudurpaschim Province Ad hoc Tax Ordinance 2081. This ordinance was approved by the council meeting held on Thursday.

The Council of Ministers has sent the ordinance to Province Chief Najir Miya for approval. Once Miya certifies the ordinance and publishes it in the gazette, the halted revenue collection process will resume.

The province had faced a budget impasse after the previous government failed to pass the budget for the current fiscal year, leading to a standstill since July 16. The previous CM Dirgha Bahadur Sodari attempted to pass the budget through an ordinance but was unsuccessful due to political challenges.

On Monday, a new ordinance was introduced under the leadership of CM Kamal Bahadur Shah of the Nepali Congress to address the budget crisis. Although this ordinance facilitates tax collection, the actual budget for the current year is still pending and is expected to be introduced within a few days.