New bill proposes action against gov’t employees involved in revenue leakages

Kathmandu / May 20: The government has tabled a bill in the Parliament that proposes allowing the provincial governments and local bodies to take action against those involved in revenue fraud causing losses for the state.

Presenting the bill to amend the Revenue Leakage (Investigation and Control) Act at the Parliament session on Monday, Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada said that the government was committed to controlling the revenue leakages in various forms.

“In the new federal set-up, the provincial governments and local bodies have also rights to collect revenues. Hence, the bill has proposed allowing them to take action against those involved in revenue leakages in various forms at the local levels,” Khatiwada said.

The new bill is aimed at controlling the revenue leakages and launching investigation into cases of revenue fraud, he said.

“The bill has also talked about the government officials who are supposed to take action against those involved in revenue leakages,” Khatiwada said.

According to the bill registered at the Parliament Secretariat, the government can immediately suspend government employees if they are found to be colluding with businessmen to cause revenue losses.

“Once the government employees are taken into custody for probe into the revenue leakage, they would be automatically suspended by the Department of Revenue Investigation until their release,” the bill states.

In the past, only businessmen involved in the revenue frauds had to face action while the laws were silent on taking action on the government employees for the same.