Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle Refuses to Cooperate with Parliamentary Inquiry

May 10, Kathmandu – Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle has urged opposition parties not to demand parliamentary investigations without proper planning, cautioning against frivolous inquiries. “Arbitrary parliamentary investigations! Has the parliament become so cheap? Just to call it a parliamentary investigation…” Minister Wagle stated during the Finance Committee meeting under the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Opposition parties are calling for Minister Wagle’s resignation, accusing him of altering tax rates. They have demanded the formation of a parliamentary inquiry committee to investigate the changes made to the tax rates in the financial bill.

Responding to these demands, Wagle remarked, “Honorable members of parliament, you woke up this morning, exchanged some words, had tea, rode in a car. Normal. When I reached Maitighar, it was quarter to eight. That is what a proper investigation would reveal.” He attempted to emphasize the importance and relevance of a parliamentary inquiry committee.

“If illegal activities, complaints, phone taps, messages, or documented evidence existed, then an investigation would be justified. But none of that has happened, so no investigation will take place,” Minister Wagle clarified. Addressing allegations that changes were made to the tax rates and that information had been leaked, Wagle stated there is no basis to conduct an inquiry.

Dr. Swarnim Wagle had presented the financial bill to parliament on May 29. The presented bill consisted of 464 pages, whereas the version posted on the Ministry of Finance’s website contains only 448 pages, indicating that 16 pages had been removed. There is a clear discrepancy between the tax provisions in the bill tabled in parliament and those published online by the Ministry of Finance. Parliamentary experts emphasize that any amendments to a bill already submitted to parliament require parliament’s approval. Corrections to a financial bill must be passed through parliament first; the Ministry of Finance cannot alter the bill independently without parliamentary consent.

In light of this, the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) has demanded the formation of a parliamentary inquiry committee, while the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and the Labor Culture Party have called for the Finance Minister’s resignation.