Stating that MoF cannot provide the 200 percent incentive through the national budget only for those working at revenue or customs offices, a majority of government employees have lodged complaints at the offices of the State Affairs Committee and Business Committee of parliament, at the chambers of Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikary and elsewhere.[break]
"MoF bypassed the cabinet and tried to legalize the 200 percent incentive through the backdoor," said a disgruntled official at the Prime Minister´s Office (PMO), adding, "Government officials working at MoF have made a serious mistake by incorporating provisions related to the incentive package in the national budget without the consent of the cabinet."
Finance Secretary Krishna Hari Baskota admitted that the budget cannot ensure 200 percent incentive for revenue staff. "The demand floated by other government employees has to be taken seriously," said Baskota, adding, "The cabinet has to take the decision to provide the incentive and the budget alone cannot continue provisions relating to the incentive package enjoyed by revenue staff."
The 200 percent incentive was incorporated in the annual budget presented by Finance Minister Adhikary at parliament. "I have decided to continue the incentive package enjoyed by revenue staff for the past four years based on assessment of work performance and in view of the satisfactory level of revenue collection due to such a package," Adhikary had announced in the budget.
Disgruntled government employees have claimed that officials at MoF deliberately included the incentive provisions in the budget. "It is the cabinet alone that can decide whether or not to provide the incentive package," said an official at PMO, adding, "How can the finance minister claim that he has given continuity to the incentive through the budget as there was no such incentive provision in past budgets?"
In a bid to motivate revenue staff to collect the expected revenue, the cabinet four years ago decided to provide 200 percent incentive to revenue staff. The cabinet has been continuing the decision for the past four years.
This year, a cabinet committee on business and infrastructure had decided not to continue the incentive any longer, concluding that such a facility has been inviting discrimination against government employees working at offices other than revenue or customs.
Concluding that incentive should be provided not only to revenue staff but also to government employees with challenging jobs at any other government agency, a meeting of the committee held on May 16, 2011 formed a study panel led by the secretary at the Ministry of General Administration (MoGA).
"Civil servants at MoF were dissatisfied with the decision to form a team led by the MoGA secretary to review and recommend incentive provisions," said an under-secretary at the PMO, adding, "MoF officials deliberately included provisions relating to incentives in the budget, fearing that the cabinet might decide not to provide them the 200 percent incentive this year."
Disgruntled officials, who have already lodged complaints with Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire, said that MoF´s decision to ensure incentives only for revenue staff challenges the jurisdiction of not only the cabinet but also parliament. They have asked all stakeholders to immediately correct the decision.
"The decision whether to continue incentives should be taken only after the study panel furnishes its report," said an official at the PMO.
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