MP Kshitiz Thebe Criticizes Government for Imposing Additional Taxes on Education and Health

Kathmandu. CPN (UML) MP Kshitiz Thebe has commented that the government has added financial burden on the fundamental rights of citizens guaranteed by the constitution by imposing additional taxes on education and health. He made such a comment while participating in the discussion on the budget in the House of Representatives meeting on Monday.

He objected to the provision of imposing additional fees in education and health through the budget, even though the constitution of Nepal has ensured education and health as fundamental rights of citizens. His comment was that the additional equality tax imposed on education carries the risk of limiting the opportunity to acquire knowledge.

He also accused the government of indirectly trying to curb the right of citizens to receive quality education by adding additional fees in education. He claimed that due to the government's policies, the risk of citizens having to bear the burden of taxes from birth to deathbed is increasing.

Scoffing and objecting to the budget's tax proposals, he said in the meeting, 'The constitution of Nepal has ensured education and health as fundamental rights of citizens. Financial burden has been imposed even on the fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution. Hasn't the additional equality tax on education blocked intelligence? Hasn't it led to the sterilization of knowledge? Are we not going to be able to produce scholars like our learned Finance Minister? The budget that proposes to impose equality tax even on the health sector has raised serious questions. It seems that a child born will have to pay additional health tax and even on the deathbed at the end of life, tax will have to be paid. The 6 percent tax on ride-sharing has affected the entire young generation as a whole.'

MP Thebe also argued that the proposed 6 percent tax on ride-sharing services, which has become popular recently, will directly and negatively impact the income and employment of youths connected with self-employment and the digital economy.