Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The government is unveiling the budget for the fiscal year 2026/27 on Friday.
Minister for Finance Dr Swarnim Wagle is scheduled to present the annual estimates of revenue and expenditure in a joint sitting of the federal parliament at 4 pm.
The government is preparing to introduce transformative programs aimed at ensuring sustainable economic governance through the new budget. Minister Wagle has said the upcoming budget will serve as a starting point for transformation, with reform programs to be systematically implemented over the next five years.
The budget is expected to include measures to fast-track long-stalled national pride projects by ensuring resources for their completion. It is also preparing to announce the scrapping of underperforming public entities.
Among the major programs likely to be included are a minimum 15% salary hike for teachers and civil servants, reforms in tax rates to make them more systematic and time-appropriate, and an increase in the threshold for personal income tax.
The Ministry of Finance has set an ambitious target of turning Nepal into a $100 billion economy within the next seven years by boosting consumption and investment. The size of the upcoming budget is estimated to exceed Rs 2,000 billion.
Alongside the Appropriation Bill, Finance Minister Wagle will also table the Finance Bill and the Bill to Raise National Debt.
The government is constitutionally bound to present the budget for the upcoming fiscal year on Jestha 15 (May 28 this year) every year.
For the current fiscal year, the government brought a budget of Rs 1,964 billion in mid-July. However, the expenditure estimates were slashed by Rs 276 billion through the mid-term review of the budget amid slow public spending and a shortfall in revenue collection.
