THE NATION

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill saga hit yet another turn as the National Council (NC) voted for the withdrawal of the Bill, following concerns that the government is yet to set up the necessary infrastructures, software and manpower for its execution. Having seen an out-and-out agreement on votes …

2 to 3 percent of children who are not yet enrolled in school are suspected to be those with disabilities Paro College of Education on 20th February launched a Masters in Inclusive Education course to equip teachers with the skills and knowledge to teach children with disabilities in both mainstream …

A standard operating procedure (SOP) was released by the National Assembly for the payment of Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) by regional tourists. The rationale behind the SOP is to facilitate and guide the payment of SDF by regional tourists, define the roles and responsibilities of relevant stakeholders and to enhance …

The Chairperson of the Legislative Committee, Tshewang Lhamo, Member from Bongo-Chapchha Constituency presented the Committees recommendations on the Bill on the third reading of the Goods and Services Tax Bill of Bhutan 2020. After a much drawn out discussion on 6th February, the House couldn’t settle on a date of …

The DNT government in bringing about the GST Tax Bill may have unwittingly put in a provision in the Bill that clashes with the 2011 Supreme Court Tax verdict. The GST Bill in section 72 titled ‘Exemptions to manufacturer’ says, ‘On the recommendation of Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry …

The National Council in its deliberation of the Penal Code Amendment Bill on 17th and 20th January saw an interesting proposal from the NC Legislative Committee on the age of consent. The proposal is to prevent the criminalizing young boys who may have had sex with a girl between 16 …

The Minister for Economic Affairs, Loknath Sharma, informed that the government shall not have any more State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in the country, and this is being done to provide equal opportunities to both the SOEs and private sector. Lyonpo said this as a response to question raised by the Member …

According to a research carried out by the government, the ban or restriction of bar license has not resulted in a decrease in the consumption of alcohol. Instead, the country saw an increasing number of bars and wine shops and also increasing level of alcohol consumption. The government restricted the …

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) announced a Goods and Services Tax (GST) of flat 7 percent that will replace all indirect taxes like sales tax, which has 11 different rates in the Parliament. After the introduction of GST Bill in the Parliament, a consultation meeting was held on 17th January …

During the Question Hour session of the National Assembly, Member of Parliament (MP) from Bumdeling-Jamkhar asked the government to give an update on the status on the government’s popular pledge to offer free Wireless Fidelity (Wi-) and the Suung Joen Mobile Applications (App). Revisiting the pledges, the Information and Communications …