The National Assembly yesterday withdrew the Impeachment Procedure Bill 2019 after the National Council resent the Bill to the House and reasserting the importance of the Bill.  The Chairperson of the Legislative Committee and member in charge of the Bill, Tshewang Lhamo proposed the withdrawal of the Bill on three grounds. 

With 22 members present and voting, the National Council unanimously adopted the Supplementary Budget Appropriation Bill 2019-20 on February 18.  The House accepted all the recommendations of the National Assembly (NA) except for the proposed supplementary appropriation of Nu 5 million (M) for the Parliamentary committees and Secretariat services.

Two weeks after the National Assembly (NA) endorsed the exemption of Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) for 11 dzongkhags, the House yesterday, taking a complete U-turn, decided that SDF should be applicable to all the 20 dzongkhags.  This means tourists visiting any dzongkhag will have to pay the SDF of Nu 1,200 for regional and USD 65 for international. Tourists from India, Maldives, and Bangladesh are considered regional tourists as they were exempted from the SDF. 

The Goods and Services Tax (GST), arguably the government’s biggest reform initiative, has hit a hurdle, as the National Council (NC) is likely to vote for withdrawal of the Bill. The good governance committee of the House yesterday cited issues regarding the legality of the commencement date and preparedness of the government for its inability to support the Bill.