January
29, 2018
The
eighth-day meeting of the seventh regular session of the second Amyotha Hluttaw
was held yesterday morning in the Amyotha Hluttaw meeting hall.
During
the session, asterisk-marked questions were asked and answered, and a bill on
invention copyright as well as literature and art copyright were discussed.
Responding
to a question raised by Daw Ei Ei Pyone of the Ayeyawady Region constituency 8
on a plan to set up a separate fund to provide full rights as described in the
law on the rights of persons with disabilities, Union Minister for Social
Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye said the National Committee
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (NCRPD) was formed on 14 September
2017 with the union government order 70/2017. A work committee on the rights of
persons with disabilities will be formed with 15 members, which will include
deputy ministers from government organisations, permanent secretaries,
directors general and officials from the federation on persons with
disabilities.
As
the NCRPD was formed, a separate fund for persons with disabilities will also
be set up, said the union minister.
At
the moment, the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities is being conducted
with the ministry’s fund. In the 2017-2018 fiscal year (FY), some 54 persons
from Kachin State, Kayah State, Kayin State and Shan State disabled by mines
were each awarded Ks200,000. A person killed by a mine in Kachin State was
given Ks700,000. Six disabled persons who lacked support in Kayah State, Fruso
Town, Taw Khu Village tract, were each awarded Ks500,000, while 31 other
disabled persons were each given Ks200,000, and a sick disabled person was
given Ks100,000. Once the fund for persons with disabilities is set up, full
rights, as described in the law on the rights of persons with disabilities,
will be provided.
The
government had set up a law and rule for persons with disabilities, while
arrangements are underway to set up a separate fund for persons with
disabilities, and full rights will be accorded to them, explained the union
minister.
In
reply to a question by U Kyaw Ni Naing of Shan State constituency 11 on the
plan to officially set up a Kokang National Day in Kokang Self-administered
Zone for Kokang ethnic nationals, Union Minister for Ethnic Affairs Nai Thet
Lwin said determining a national day is not related only to a party, a group, a
regional organisation or an organisation that is in power. It is also related
to the entire ethnic national community, as well as the will and wishes of the
political organisation, cultural organisation, civil society organisations,
religious organisations and all the ethnic nationals living in other states and
regions.
Therefore,
to set up a national day for ethnic nationals, a steering group that includes
all of them must be formed first, and the will and wishes of all the ethnic
nationals must be obtained. A national day that is set up this way needs to be
recognised by ethnic nationals and celebrated. It is appropriate for all Kokang
nationals in the world and the country to establish a national day, and the
government should not set it up, explained the union minister. U Ye Htut of
Sagaing Region constituency 5 then asked whether there was a plan to exempt
from commercial tax the entire service supply chain of books, literature and
journals published by publishers who had applied and obtained recommendation
letters from the Ministry of Information’s copyright and registration
department, as well as books, literature and journals that are imported through
trade channels. Deputy Minister for Information U Aung Hla Tun said the
ministry only issued a recommendation letter to conduct printing, publishing
and news agency works, and these entities need to obtain the necessary work
permits from the municipality. Commercial tax, income and profit tax are
collected by the Ministry of Planning and Finance, and the Ministry of Commerce
and the Ministry of Information took no part in it.
The
ministry of information had only coordinated with the relevant ministerial
department for exemption from commercial tax. The Ministry of Planning and
Finance had responded that although it is not included in the goods and
services that are exempted from commercial tax, while the 2018 union tax law is
being drawn, discussions should be made in the Hluttaw so that commercial tax
is exempted for books and journals, and the Hlutaw’s decision should be
followed.
The
Ministry of Planning and Finance must further take into account the loss in tax
revenue if the exemption is provided. The Ministry of Information seeks the
development of the publishing of books and literature that raise the knowledge
of people and will support tax exemption and relief, but tax is not the domain
of the ministry, explained the deputy minister.
By
Aye Aye Than
Ref;
The
Global New Light of Myanmar
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