The government wishes to raise tax rates without consulting experts, but this is impossible, according to President Mohamed Nasheed, Speaker of the Parliament.
Today, Nasheed presided over the entire house committee of the parliament. Ibrahim Shareef of the Maradhoo Constituency had asked for the committee’s time to be extended so that all of the members may speak. However, Nasheed had turned down this demand.
The committee’s members had objected to this, arguing that the chairperson could not run the committee solely according to his preferences. Nasheed, however, had repeatedly refused the request, stating that the committee will end on schedule.
Saneef,  member of the Thinadhoo constituency, also voiced his displeasure with the speaker’s alleged abuse of authority in running the committee in his own way.
Ali Riza, a representative for Milandhoo, commented after Nasheed had said that experts on the subject will be brought to the committee before passing the bill, but that this could not happen without the committee passing the bill first. Nasheed, however, has also objected to this as well.
Nasheed had argued persuasively that it would be impossible for the members to enact the law without also considering the opinions of experts and the general public.
Even though the members were still asking Nasheed to extend the time, he had already ended the committee at the allocated time.