Finance Minister Namgay Tshering says he does not support the National Assembly’s proposal to provide designated duty vehicles for Members of Parliament. This he said will not only incur a cost of more than Nu 203 M but also contradict the government’s plans to reduce the number of vehicles in the country.
The Pay Structure Reform Bill of Bhutan 2022 is now at the National Council. Finance Minister Namgay Tshering introduced the Bill today.
“The Economic and Finance Committee of the National Assembly has proposed to do away with the MP’s entitlement of Driver allowance, Fuel and Maintenance allowance, and Vehicle Purchase allowance. In return, they are proposing to get a designated duty vehicle for all MPs. I don’t know about the government, but as a finance minister I didn’t and cannot support the proposal,” said Lyonpo.
Lyonpo said if the Bill is passed, then the government will end up spending more than Nu 203 M in buying 58 duty vehicles for MPs excluding the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, the speaker, the chairperson of the National Council, and the Opposition Leader.
“As per my calculations, when we see the current expenditure and compare it with the Economic and Finance Committee’s proposed suggestion, the expenditure will exceed by about Nu 97 M. Moreover, the government’s plan is not to increase the number of vehicles in the country,” said the Finance Minister.
Lyonpo requested the National Council to review the Bill properly and provide necessary recommendations. The session also saw a few clarifications concerning the clean wage system, performance-based incentives, commencement dates, and professional allowances for medical and clinical staff. The House will continue deliberations on the Bill tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the house also adopted the Forest and Nature Conservation Bill of Bhutan and the Property Tax Bill of Bhutan today.
Passang Dorji, BBS
Edited by Tshering Zam
