Nepal's former king ready to pay taxes

Aug 12, 2009, 13:01 GMT

   Kathmandu - Nepal's former king Gyanendra said he is ready to pay taxes on his property as well as unpaid telephone and electricity bills, but wanted a 'concession,' local media reports said Wednesday.

   The report carried on the website of Kantipur, a leading newspaper, came amid growing pressure on the government to collect tens of thousands of dollars in utility bills owed by the former monarch.

   '[The] former king's personal secretariat wrote to the Finance Ministry recently and requested discounts in value added tax, income tax, telephone and electricity bills payable for the private residence in Kathmandu,' the website quoted Finance Minister Surendra Pandey as saying.

   'The government may make some special arrangements for the former king if he is willing to pay all the taxes he owes to the government,' Pandey said.

   Nepalese politicians voted overwhelmingly to abolish the monarchy in May 2008 and Gyanendra moved out of the royal palace to live as an ordinary citizen.

   Until then, Gyanendra was not required to pay taxes and his electricity and telephone bills were taken care of by the government.

   Since the abolition of monarchy, Gyanendra has been living in a government retreat on the outskirts of the capital.

   However, he still owns a sprawling private compound and a residence in Kathmandu city.

   It is not clear how much taxes Gyanendra needs to pay. However, reports in local media said his electricity bills alone were over half a million dollars.