Finance Minister Barsaman Pun has said that the upcoming budget will be in line with the policies and programs. In the pre-budget discussion program organized by the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday, Finance Minister Pun said that the monetary policy will be coordinated with the budget. Minister Pun stated that the upcoming budget will not only boost the morale of the government but also the private sector. "The budget comes in line with the policies and programs, and the monetary policy comes in line with the budget. Policies and programs that cannot be supported by the budget are not included," Pun said, "The contents included in the policies and programs are included in the budget."
Finance Minister Pun expressed his belief that Nepal Rastra Bank's suggestions will also be included in the upcoming budget. "After reaching a level of budget preparation, there is a discussion with the National Bank, and the monetary policy comes in harmony with the budget," he said. He said that there is a problem of payment in projects that have been completed in previous years, have multi-year contracts, and are mentioned in the budget but the source is not guaranteed. He said that the government will pay the liability created by the construction sector. He said that arrangements will be made in the budget to pay for it in the next year's budget.
Finance Minister Pun says that the government will pay attention to developing agriculture as a base and to take it commercially rather than subsistence-oriented. He said that there is a situation of building infrastructure but not connecting it to economic activities. He said that irrigation is going on one side, agriculture zone on the other, and market on the other side. Rather than increasing the tax rate, he said that the government expected the support of the private sector to broaden the scope. "What can be the infrastructure in the information technology sector? What can happen in taxes? The government has thought about it," he said. "There will be a budget that will make the situation of slowdown sustainable and boost everyone's morale."
Finance Minister Pun said that the government should not have a policy of giving priority to specific sectors and 'harassing' anyone, and they are trying to come up with a budget based on reality.
