Nepal's king Gyanendra pays tax for the first time

Kathmandu, Dec 9: Nepal's King Gyanendra has paid customs dutyon his personal goods, the first time a monarch of the Himalayan nationhas paid any type of tax, a government spokesman said.

Nepal's government in May stripped the king of almost all hispowers and ordered him to pay tax like any other citizen of thecountry. The government also plans to nationalise thousands of hectaresof land owned by the king.

Finance Ministry spokesman Deep Basnet said the palace had paidabout 1,800 dollars in taxes incurred on cargo imported by the king andhis son, Prince Paras.

''This is the first time the palace has paid any tax to get itsparcel released from the customs,'' Basnet told Reuters. The king andhis immediate family members were previously exempt from paying anytaxes.

Nepal's monarchs have traditionally been revered as god, but KingGyanendra's popularity dipped after he sacked the government early lastyear, saying the move was needed to quell an anti-monarchy Maoistinsurgency which has killed more than 13,000 people since 1996.

Street protests organised by Nepal's main political parties andsupported by the Maoists in April forced him to hand power back to thepolitical parties.

Last month, the government and Maoists signed a landmark peace deal declaring an end to the decade-old revolt.

They have also agreed to hold elections next year for a specialassembly which would be tasked to map the country's political futureand decide the fate of its monarchy.

Reuters