UML boycotts House meeting demanding parliamentary probe against FinMin Sharma

There have been calls for the resignation of Finance Minister Sharma after it was revealed that he had allowed a former government official to alter tax provisions to ensure benefits to certain private sector businesses and business elites.

NL Today

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Kathmandu: The CPN-UML lawmakers on Thursday boycotted the meeting of the House of Representatives demanding to form a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations against Finance Minister Janardan Sharma. Sharma has been accused of involving an outsider to change taxes provisions in the budget speech just before it was presented before the Parliament.

The UML lawmakers walked out of the Parliament after the Speaker continued the meeting despite obstruction from the main opposition and allowed Finance Minister Sharma to answer queries raised by lawmakers during deliberations on a new budget.

[Related: Despite calls for his resignation, Finance Minister Sharma demurs]

There have been calls for the resignation of Finance Minister Janardan Sharma after it was revealed that he had allowed a former government official—of a non-gazetted first-class level—to alter provisions in certain areas with the aim to ensure benefits to certain private sector businesses and business elites on the midnight of May 28, few hours before the budget was presented by the minister in parliament on May 29.

The current allegation is probably a third in the series of misconduct that the Finance Minister from the Maoist Center has committed since he took office. He is found to have committed the misconduct to undermine the financial system for the sake of enriching the business cliques of his favor.