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Lawmakers who own houses in Kathmandu Valley won’t get accommodation allowance from next fiscal year

File: The Federal Parliament Secretariat

Kathmandu, April 22

The Federal Parliament Secretariat says it will stop paying accommodation allowance to members of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly from the beginning of next fiscal year, that is mid-July 2018, if they own at least one house in the Kathmandu Valley.

However, lawmakers themselves have to make announcements about their residential status to help the Secretariat decide.

Currently, all federal lawmakers get Rs 18,000 a month as the allowance irrespective of if they have any house in three districts of the capital, namely Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. After media published reports about the issue, the Secretariat now has sought details from lawmakers about their residency status here.

However, lawmakers with a house in the capital will still get Rs 9,000 a month as repairing allowance.

A source at the Secretariat says it currently does not know how many lawmakers have houses in Kathmandu and how many do not. Nonetheless, it has been estimated that around 40 per cent federal lawmakers own at least one own in Kathmandu.

“We think lawmakers declare their status on their own because this issue is moral ethical than legally binding. But, we cannot be sure how many of them will submit the details truthfully,” an official says, warning the Secretariat might make them refund the amount in future if they are found to have a house here and enjoy the accommodation allowance too.

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