National
Congress pressures Centre to ease taxes
Claiming that they have not imposed high taxes at their local levels, mayors and deputy mayors close to the Nepali Congress party have demanded that the federal government decrease the excessive taxes being imposed at the centre.Claiming that they have not imposed high taxes at their local levels, mayors and deputy mayors close to the Nepali Congress party have demanded that the federal government decrease the excessive taxes being imposed at the centre.
The main opposition party had called on all its leaders elected from various municipalities to the centre to discuss over the increasing discontent among the public on excessive taxation.
“The local representatives have informed the party leadership that they have not collected taxes as amplified by the media,” said Rajan Raj Panta, mayor of Gorkha Municipality. The local representatives elected from the NC also demended that local levels be allowed to exercise their rights to fulfill the employees they need and ensure smooth progress on development projects.
During an interaction organised by the NC Central Policy and Training Academy at the party’s central office Sanepa on Monday, leaders urged the government to bring all necessary laws for provinces and local levels at the earliest and revise the existing protocol of the mayor, deputy mayor and head and deputies of the rural municipalities.
“NC believes in practical, simple and minimum tax system after increasing the financial activities by creating environment conducive to investment,” the NC said in a statement. More than 90 percent of the total 189 mayors and deputy mayors elected from the NC were present in the interaction.
On the occasion, the local representatives also warned the government not to go against the spirit of democratic, including infringement of civil rights and the press freedom ensured by the constitution.
While objecting to the federal government’s decisions to cut social security, old-age allowances, health-related facilities, and facilities for the earthquake victims, they demanded that an independent National Natural Resources and Financial commission be constituted under the NC with representatives from other parties.
The gathering deplored the Centre’s discrimination against local governments led by the NC and demanded an end to such activities. “Providing less budget, releasing the budget on instalments or with certain conditions the government has been discriminating the NC-led local levels,” said the statement.