KATHMANDU, June 10: Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle has said there is no truth to claims that budget information was leaked before the budget was presented in Parliament.
Responding to questions regarding the key provisions of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure (Budget) for the fiscal year 2026/27 at a meeting of the House of Representatives' Finance Committee on Tuesday, Wagle dismissed allegations that information about proposed tax rates had been leaked and that BYD electric vehicles had been imported on May 28 based on insider information.
Wagle had presented the budget for fiscal year 2026/27 at a joint sitting of both Houses of the Federal Parliament on May 29, in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Finance Minister Wagle to present budget today; Parliament secr...
At the committee meeting, he explained that amendments were made to the Finance Bill because some points included in the budget speech had been omitted from the bill. He also claimed that rumors about the budget being leaked before its presentation in Parliament were being deliberately spread against him.
He said unnecessary publicity had been generated with the intention of dragging the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister into controversy, despite a lack of facts or evidence.
“No changes have been made to the Finance Bill except for the correction of apparent errors after it was presented to the sovereign Parliament. The House of Representatives was obstructed, and rumors about the budget and us were deliberately spread in an attempt to defame us,” Finance Minister Wagle said.
He added that lawmakers should not be misled into believing that such attacks could tarnish the image of a government that has moved forward decisively in pursuit of good governance.
During the meeting, committee member Lima Adhikari described the budget as historic and transformative, saying many concerns had been clarified through the minister’s response.
Another committee member, Narendra Kumar Kerung, said it was incorrect to suggest that nothing had been accomplished by previous governments.
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