RSP pledges digital parks in all provinces, Tax breaks to turn Nepal into Global Tech Hub

KATHMANDU: The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has announced an ambitious plan to transform Nepal into a global technology hub, promising to build advanced digital parks in all seven provinces and introduce sweeping policy incentives to expand the country’s information technology sector.

The commitments were included in the party’s manifesto unveiled Thursday, which proposes declaring the IT industry a “national strategic sector” and offering major tax concessions to accelerate its growth.

IT sector positioned as next economic pillar

RSP says the IT sector has the potential to become Nepal’s second-largest economic pillar after remittances. The manifesto sets a target to expand IT service and software exports from the current estimated USD 1.5 billion to USD 30 billion within the next decade.

To support this expansion, the party plans to establish an autonomous IT Promotion Board tasked with policy coordination, investment facilitation, and export expansion.

Digital parks and mass job creation

A central component of the plan is the construction of modern digital parks in all seven provinces, aimed at building a nationwide technology ecosystem.

According to the manifesto, these facilities would host technology companies, startups, research centres, and digital service firms, with the goal of generating up to 500,000 direct jobs.

The party says it will allocate resources over the next five years to strengthen the digital economy through both public investment and public-private partnerships.

Tax incentives, financing access and foreign investment reforms

The manifesto proposes special income-tax incentives for IT firms, simplified policies for foreign investment entry and profit repatriation, and the creation of macro-level financing frameworks allowing companies to use intellectual property as collateral for concessional loans.

RSP also pledged automatic cash incentives for IT service and software exports and full income-tax exemption for a limited period to accelerate industry expansion.

Building nationwide digital infrastructure

The party outlined plans for large-scale investment in communications infrastructure, public digital platforms, data centres, cloud services, cybersecurity systems, personal data protection frameworks, and high-speed connectivity.

It also said Nepal would gradually reduce external dependence on internet infrastructure by developing sovereign digital systems, including satellite-supported connectivity and other advanced technologies to ensure secure and independent networks.

Digital procurement, payments and startup integration

RSP says it will reform public procurement rules to prioritise software and digital applications developed within Nepal, encouraging domestic tech firms to supply government systems.

The manifesto also promises to modernise the postal service as a foundational component of the country’s digital public infrastructure.

To help Nepali startups integrate with global markets, the party pledged to remove legal and technical barriers to international payment gateways, a long-standing constraint for IT exporters.

‘Digital-first nation’ vision

The party’s broader digital policy aims to establish Nepal as a “digital-first nation,” integrating government and private-sector financial transactions into unified digital platforms.

RSP argues this shift toward a cashless economy would improve transparency, reduce corruption, and curb revenue leakage while expanding formal economic activity.

The manifesto frames the digital strategy as a central pillar of long-term economic transformation, export growth, and employment creation.