Revenue leakage won't be tolerated: FM Paudel

Kathmandu, Mar. 25

Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel has said that the government would use all its instruments and forces to check revenue leakage and punish those involved in revenue misappropriation.

"We cannot tolerate revenue leakage. We come with force to check it with a focus on business promotion and protection," he said in a meeting of the Revenue Leakage Control Committee organised at the Ministry of Finance on Thursday.

He directed the concerned authorities and agencies to be proactive so that the accused were punished and urged that the innocent should not be troubled. You must act consciously so that the innocent remain untroubled, he said.

Minister Paudel directed the departments and security agencies to coordinate and collaborate for controlling revenue leakage and asked to enhance the monitoring at the local and central level.

"You must keep problem-solving at the centre of your responsibility. There is a need to troubleshoot the weaknesses in the system and increase the use of technology," he said.

Finance Secretary Shishir Kumar Dhungana pointed to the need of information exchange among the ministry, department and security agencies.

Revenue Secretary Ram Sharan Pudasaini said policy and systematic reforms were undertaken to control the leakage. He said the ministry was conscious as there were chances of higher leakage with the increase in the economic activities.

Home Secretary Maheshwor Neupane said that the guilty would be punished as per the law.

IGPs of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force Shailesh Thapa and Shailendra Khanal said that the security agencies would move ahead together with the concerned agencies in controlling the leakage of revenue.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 26 March 2021.