KATHMANDU, June 12: Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle on Thursday lashed out at lawmakers who questioned changes made to tax rates in the budget, warning critics that their own “scandals” could also come to light.
Responding to concerns raised during parliamentary discussions on the 2026/27 budget, Wagle told opposition MPs: “Do you think we are unaware of your scandals? Those will be exposed too.”
The remarks came as lawmakers scrutinized alleged alterations to tax provisions after the budget speech. Wagle has acknowledged that amendments were made to the Finance Bill after the budget was presented, but argued that such revisions were common practice under previous governments. He claimed the previous UML-led administration had made 73 amendments in five areas, while this year’s changes were far fewer.
He also shifted responsibility for the errors to ministry staff, saying the documents were typed by bureaucrats and that he merely approved them as the ministry’s head.
Defending himself, Wagle said he would resign if even “two rupees” of dishonesty or wrongdoing were proven. He then questioned the moral standing of lawmakers criticizing him, saying he hoped they possessed the same ethical standards.
The minister also dismissed media reports on the controversy, referring to some journalists and outlets as “a few scraps” that had speculated about possible irregularities worth billions of rupees.
Wagle further suggested that some lawmakers lacked the theoretical understanding needed to grasp the budget’s philosophy. Speaking in a lecturing tone, he argued that a stronger grounding in economic theory was necessary to properly evaluate the budget.
At one point, he referred to renowned economist Dani Rodrik as his mentor and said he often considered how his teacher would view policy decisions. Critics, however, argue that the finance minister’s primary accountability is to Parliament and the Nepali public.
From the outset of his speech, Wagle signaled he would not yield to opposition criticism. He said the budget reflected the agenda endorsed by voters and insisted that his party would continue pursuing that mandate over the next five years, regardless of opposition objections.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment