KATHMANDU, JUNE 11
Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle on Thursday defended the government's budget and governance agenda, stating that the administration remains committed to transparency, employment generation and economic reform.
Responding to lawmakers in Parliament, Wagle dismissed allegations of irregularities in tax revisions and said he would resign from public life if found involved in corruption "even by a single penny."
He said the budget prioritises job creation, sustainable income generation, agriculture reform and improvements in social security programmes. The minister also rejected criticism over taxes imposed on institutional schools and clarified that no electricity tax has been imposed on consumption of up to 50 units.
Wagle said the budget seeks to encourage greater private-sector investment, arguing that Nepal's development goals require private investment several times larger than government spending.
He, however, acknowledged drafting errors in the Finance Bill and said they had been corrected before submission to Parliament.