Pokhara Municipal Council meeting adjourned for failure to reduce real estate tax agenda

KATHMANDU, Jan 15: The 14th Municipal Council Meeting of Pokhara Metropolitan City is scheduled to be held on February 1.

Although the municipality's winter session was called on January 14, the municipal council meeting was postponed because the tax issue of real estate could not be addressed.

Moti Timilsina, spokesperson for Pokhara Metropolitan City, said that the financial law is about to include revenue related issues. He said that a 13-member committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Dev Krishna Parajuli, chairman of Ward-4 of Pokhara Metropolitan City, for the issues that need to be amended. He added that the January 14 meeting has been postponed and it will take place on February 1.

The executive meeting of Pokhara metropolis was postponed after the Pokhara Metropolitan City did not put forward an agenda to reduce the real estate tax.

The executive meeting that was supposed to be held on Tuesday was adjourned as the ward chairpersons from the Nepali Congress did not participate in the meeting after the executive meeting did not forward the agenda for tax reduction. On the other hand, Ward Chairman of Pokhara Metropolitan City Ward-2 and leader of Nepali Congress, Diwasman Pradhananga, said that since it is the duty of the metropolis o work according to the wishes of the people of Pokhara, the task force has been given time to reduce the revenue within two weeks by addressing the special requests that have been halted due to various reasons.

There is a majority of Nepali Congress ward chairpersons in Pokhara Metropolitan City. The NC, which has 22 ward chairpersons, suggested that the tax reduction agenda be kept in the executive meeting on Tuesday. But the Pokhara metropolis did not put the agenda about tax reduction in the meeting. Since the agenda was not included, the Nepali Congress ward chairpersons informed Mayor Dhanraj Acharya that they would not participate in the meeting. Before that, an executive meeting had been called to pass the agenda to be discussed in the municipal council meeting. Similarly, Pokhara Metropolitan City Ward 17 Chairperson Radhika Kumari Shahi said that the CPN-UML did not boycott the meeting of the executive committee. She said that the delay was due to the non-arrival of the elected members of the Nepali Congress.

Dhan Raj Acharya, mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City, said that the meeting of the executive committee will be held on January 30 and January 31 and the municipal council meeting is scheduled for February 1.