Kathmandu- Pressure is mounting in Parliament for an independentinvestigation into the import of BYD electric vehicles ahead of the national budget, amid allegations that advance information on tax changes was leaked, causing the state to lose more than Rs 1 billion in revenue.

Lawmakers from several political parties have called for a parliamentary investigation committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the import of vehicles before the budget announcement, possible leakage of tax information, and the role of customs authorities.

The issue has gained momentum in both the House of Representatives and its parliamentary committees, with lawmakers arguing that an inquiry conducted under the Ministry of Finance would not be sufficient to establish public trust.

At a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday, lawmakers from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and the Shram Sanskriti Party urged Parliament to lead the investigation through an independent mechanism.

RPP Chief Whip Khusbu Oli said the matter should be investigated at the parliamentary level, arguing that a ministry-led inquiry would lack credibility. Shram Sanskriti Party lawmaker Aren Rai proposed that the Public Accounts Committee form a subcommittee to conduct a detailed investigation.

“Let us form a subcommittee under the Public Accounts Committee and find out what actually happened. The truth must come out,' Rai said.

He said allegations involving billions of rupees had surfaced and stressed that the public deserved clear answers. If the accusations were unfounded, they should be disproved with evidence. If they were true, responsibility should be established, he added.

CPN (Maoist Centre) lawmaker Mahendra Bahadur Shahi also described the issue as serious and called for a transparent parliamentary investigation.
The matter was also raised during Thursday’s House of Representatives meeting. Lawmaker Yubaraj Dulal demanded the formation of a parliamentary probe committee, saying the unusually high volume of vehicle imports before the budget warranted closer scrutiny.

While vehicle imports themselves were not unusual, Dulal said questions arose after reports indicated that some vehicles had completed customs procedures shortly before the budget speech.

“We are not opposing the arrival of vehicles. However, the rush to clear them before the budget announcement has naturally raised doubts,' he said.

Dulal said suspicions had emerged that importers may have acted on prior knowledge of changes in tax rates. He called for an impartial investigation to determine whether any information had been leaked during the budget preparation process.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Gyan Bahadur Shahi accused Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle of failing to provide accurate information to parliamentary committees regarding customs clearance procedures and tax-related issues.

Speaking at a meeting of the Finance Committee, Shahi questioned discrepancies in customs records, saying differences between vehicle arrival dates and customs clearance dates had raised concerns.

“We do not seek an investigation committee to declare anyone guilty. We seek one to uncover the truth,' he said.

According to customs data, around 2,700 vehicles were imported in the month leading up to the budget announcement. Of these, 1,396 were BYD vehicles imported through the Rasuwa and Mustang customs points.

Questions have focused on vehicles cleared through Rasuwa Customs, where records indicate that some vehicles were released under the previous tax regime before the budget took effect. Critics claim this resulted in revenue losses exceeding Rs 1 billion.

The controversy deepened after the Finance Minister's Secretariat publicly disclosed vehicle import figures on Tuesday. Critics alleged that the figures were presented in a way that understated the actual number of imported vehicles.

Following the disclosure, lawmakers intensified calls for a parliamentary investigation, arguing that only an independent inquiry could determine whether advance tax information had been leaked and whether any irregularities occurred in the customs clearance process.