PM, DPM hint at new full budget

KATHMANDU, April 5: Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal has said that the government is more likely to introduce a new annual budget and that there are less chances of bringing a supplementary program due to time constraints.



He said discussions on finding an appropriate solution to the budget issue are underway and that they are inching towards a consensus to that end.



"Due to time constraints and other reasons we are likely to end up with a full-fledged [new] budget," the prime minister said at a parliamentary party meeting of the CPN-UML held at Singha Durbar on Monday.[break]



Addressing the same meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari also indicated that it is already too late to introduce a supplementary budget.



Most UML lawmakers at the meeting pressed the prime minister and the finance minister to bring a new budget soon instead of a supplementary one.



Pradip Gyawali, Ram Nath Dhakal and Ravindra Adhikari, among others, suggested to Khanal and Adhikari not to go for supplementary plans and programs.



"Tell us clearly if you have disagreements with the programs and policies of the present budget introduced by then finance minister Surendra Pandey; otherwise, there is no point tabling a supplementary budget at this point," said Gyawali, adding, "We have to seriously ponder where the Maoists will lead us if we keep on appeasing them?"



Dhakal urged the prime minister to announce without delay that the government is for bringing a new budget early. "Better if you make the announcement at today´s parliamentary meeting," he said.



However, the prime minister and the finance minister did not clearly mention at the House meeting later whether they were going to bring a full-fledged new budget or a supplementary one.



The government is under pressure from the largest coalition partner UCPN (Maoist) to table a supplementary budget as Maoist leaders have been saying that they haven´t fully accepted the present budget.



The prime minister dispelled rumors that the government was preparing to bring a supplementary budget while keeping the finance ministry in the dark.



"It is unfortunate rumors are making the rounds that non-government agencies and non-official people were preparing a new budget while keeping the finance ministry in the dark. This is a baseless allegation," the prime minister said.



Earlier, the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) obstructed parliamentary proceedings, accusing the government of preparing to bring a supplementary budget while keeping the ministry in dark, and over the resignation of Finance Secretary Rameshware Khanal.



NC has accused Finance Minister Adhikari of pressing Khanal to quit, allegedly for not supporting the minister in protecting businessmen evading tax.



However, both the prime minister and the finance minister refuted the allegations. "The government is determined to take stringent action against tax evaders and the presence or absence of any particular official doesn´t make any difference in its policy," the prime minister said. Khanal claimed that the government will never amend laws with an intention of exempting tax evaders.



Adhikari claimed that he was for introducing more strict provisions against tax evaders to address any loopholes in existing laws.



On Secretary Khanal´s resignation, the prime minister said there is no truth to claims that the secretary quit because of government policy to protect the culprits of the Unity scams and tax evaders. "It is baseless because the present government is adopting a more strict policy toward such culprits," he said.



Meanwhile, a parliamentary party meeting of the NC earlier in the day decided to protest strongly in parliament against the government decision. Addressing the meeting, NC lawmaker Ramesh Lekhak said the replies furnished by the prime minister and the finance minister were unsatisfactory.

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