Demand for amendment in e-commerce bill

The parliamentarians demanded comprehensive reforms in the e-commerce sector if the bill is passed as it is. Answering various questions raised during the theoretical discussion, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supply Damodar Bhandari said that the government's intention is not to control entrepreneurship and necessary reforms will be made during the quarterly discussions. The parliamentarian drew attention to the fact that they did not think about addressing the problems faced by e-commerce businessmen, including complicated registration process, discouragement of social media use, and the need for businessmen to build a mandatory platform. Minister Bhandari says that it will be amended to benefit both consumers and e-commerce entrepreneurs.

National Independent Party MP Shishir Khanal said that 60 percent of Nepal's online business is done through social commerce and making it mandatory for all e-commerce businesses to create software, websites or apps is like closing the digital shutter. Khanal is of the opinion that reform is needed as the bill seems to be trying to control rather than regulate. Nepali Congress MP Pradeep Paudel has commented that whether the law to be made now will create jobs or will make job creation difficult. Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the

bill stipulate that in order to conduct electronic business, one must register according to law, create one's own electronic platform such as a website, app, and list the said platform in the electronic business portal established by the government. Failure to do so will result in a fine of 10,000 to 50,000. Entrepreneurs demand to keep social networks under the electronic platform have come

CPN-UML MP Vidya Bhattarai says that classification of e-commerce is necessary and all online businesses should not be viewed with the same lens. "If someone starts an online business with the intention of becoming self-employed and says that they will promote it through social media, the bill has been introduced so that it will not be accepted," she said. If this is controlled, how will business progress?' Metmani Chowdhury, a member of parliament from the CPN United Socialist Party, emphasized that there are problems with poor internet services, payment systems, and access to production and distribution. RSVP MP Sobita Gautam is of the opinion that the bill has not thought about creating an environment for living in Nepal at a time when the trend of young people going abroad is increasing. He says that the bill should be seen through the eyes of a new entrepreneur.

CPN Maoist Center MP Mahendra Bahadur Shahi is of the opinion that if the online business is made transparent and regulated, problems such as tax evasion and revenue leakage will be solved easily and business will be simplified. He demanded that the promotion of domestic business and local products can be increased through e-commerce, the bill does not cover many sections and it should be fully amended and brought into law. Raghuji Pant of CPN-UML said that Nepal's e-commerce is more than 10 billion. Therefore, he said, it is necessary to bring a bill that encourages transparent business. The provisions of the

bill tried to make the e-commerce business expensive and complicated, and the provisions such as requiring a written agreement between the platform provider and the seller were not necessary, said Swarnim Wagle, a member of the Parliamentarian of RSVP. Answering the questions raised in the discussion, Minister Bhandari claimed that the government is entrepreneurship and startup friendly.