RPP lawmaker calls for revenue office consultation before setting district rates
He alleged that billions of rupees are misappropriated during the rate-setting process, benefiting individuals from government employees to political leaders.
KATHMANDU: Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmaker Deepak Bahadur Singh has urged the government to consult the Revenue Office before setting district-level rates for construction materials such as rods and cement, citing concerns over policy-level corruption.
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, Singh stressed the need to determine district rates across all 77 districts before the federal budget is announced.
He alleged that billions of rupees are misappropriated during the rate-setting process, benefiting individuals from government employees to political leaders.
“District rates should be finalized before the federal budget is tabled. The process of determining these rates has led to the misallocation of billions of rupees, shared among officials and politicians alike,” Singh stated. “For items like rods and cement, the Revenue Office must be consulted before finalizing the rates.”
He highlighted discrepancies in pricing, citing an example where the market price of a product sold by a gabion box industry was Rs 230 per square meter, while the government-determined rate reached as high as Rs 328 per square meter.
“This price difference clearly reflects policy-level corruption,” he said. “To prevent this, it is essential that the Revenue Office’s input be incorporated when setting these rates.”
Singh concluded his address by calling for reforms to ensure transparency and accountability in the rate-setting process.
