There will be a gap for some days between the termination of the ordinance and introduction of a new legal arrangement through parliament. “The government can´t introduce any ordinance with immediate effect since parliament meeting is underway. What it can do is to table an amendment on the finance bill,” said a source at the parliament secretariat. [break]
The next parliament meeting is scheduled for September 5 for sixth round of prime ministerial voting.
Endorsing any amendment bill from parliament takes at least 10 days. The bill can be tabled in the House meeting five days after it is registered at the parliament secretariat.
“We have to allocate around 10 days for endorsing a government bill from parliament,” Tek Prasad Dhungana told myrepublica.com.
Once the ordinance expires, either the government has to stop import of gold for the time being or permit gold transactions at old price.
Finance Minister Surendra Pandey held a discussion with chief whips of UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN-UML in the presence of Speaker Subas Nembang at Singha Durbar on Sunday seeking support from the major political parties to find an amicable solution to the issue.
The government, through the ordinance, had hiked customs duty on gold from Rs 130 per 10 grams to Rs 470 to stop illegal outflow of gold to the Indian market.
Once the ordinance expires, either the government has to stop import of gold for the time being or permit gold transactions at old price.
“We will take a decision on the issue no later than by August 31,” said Keshav Acharya, advisor at the finance ministry.
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Current sessions of both Houses expiring today midnight
