KATHMANDU: Gen-Z movement leader Rabi Kiran Hamal has welcomed Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s announcement to withdraw the 3 percent tax imposed on education and healthcare services, which was made through social media.

However, Hamal urged the government to immediately complete the necessary constitutional and legal procedures to give the decision formal legal effect.

He also called on the government to abolish the additional taxes imposed on electricity and ride-sharing services, arguing that such burdens should be removed without delay.

In a Facebook post, Hamal said tax policies cannot be amended through social media announcements alone. He stressed that revising revenue provisions in the national budget requires a formal Cabinet decision, the completion of parliamentary procedures, and publication in the Nepal Gazette before the changes become legally enforceable.

Recalling that the government’s 100-day achievements were officially presented by the government spokesperson, Hamal questioned why a significant policy decision such as repealing a tax was announced through the Prime Minister’s personal Facebook account instead of the government’s institutional channels.

He said the move raises concerns over the government’s decision-making process and could create the impression of a policy disconnect between the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance.

While reiterating his support for the Prime Minister’s announcement, Hamal urged the government to promptly provide the decision with legal validity. He argued that in a democratic system, laws, the Constitution, and institutional processes-not Facebook posts-must remain the ultimate basis for public policy.

Hamal also called on the government to end the practice of creating problems only to later claim credit for solving them. Good governance, he said, should be measured by avoiding unpopular decisions in the first place rather than manufacturing crises and presenting their resolution as an achievement.