I don't know how much of this is correct, but here is an email I got forwarded-- seems outrageous if it is true. Subject: King of Nepal's earnings proprtion compared to other country heads Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 09:13:15 -0800 (PST) >When I was in Nepal, people were leaving Bajura because they were >starving. But the royal family seems to be OK. STephen >*** >How much money does Nepali king earn? > >Dear Nepali citizens and foreign lovers of Nepal, You might be >wondering why Nepal is still poor when its countries of equal >economic status has reached the sky with booming economic >development. Let me try to answer - this is one of the reason, I >have recently found. > >Nepal is one of the poorest counries of the world but Nepal's king >is the highest paid king of the world. > >The income of Nepali king Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev is : >-2,426 times higher than that of Chinese president >-318 times higher than that of Indian president 301 times higher >than that of Pakistani president >-173 times higher than that of Russian president >-57 times higher than that of French president >-15 times higher than that of British president 10 times higher than >that of American president > >-Netherlands queen's income : Rs. 22,32,00,000 (per capita income Rs >17,25,120 ) >-American president earns Rs. 3,24,00,000 (1,15,20,000 returns in >tax), (per capita income Rs 25,24,320) >-Japanese king earns Rs. 22,23,52,000 (per capita income >Rs.24,15,600) >-Chinese president earns Rs. 1,35,000 (per capita income Rs 67,680) >-Indian president earns Rs. 10,11,000 (per capita income Rs 34,560) >-French president earns Rs 57,96,000 (per capita income Rs >15,84,000) >-Pakistani president earns (after the coup) Rs 10,94,000 (per capita >income 29,520) >-British Queen does not get any salary from the state. She has a >property of Rs 30,24,00,00,000 (the profit of investiment, after >paying the tax, is hers) but even her neckless is the property of >the country. >-British president earns Rs 2,19,58,000 (per capita income is Rs >18,16,200) >-Russian president earns Rs 19,03,000 (per capita income is Rs >1,54,000) >-Belgean king receives salary as a civil servant (per capita income >is Rs 16,74,000) > >And, >Nepali king earns Rs 61,91,00,000 (per capita income is Rs >16,560=US$ 230) [This means the Nepali king earns Rs. 19,878 times >higher than a citizen. Last year it was 37,385 times higher. Thus a >citizen can earn as much as the king earns in a year only after >working for 19,000 years or in 316 lives. Ho la!] > >Appendix >Nepali royal family is involved in various business. A king does not >have to pay tax according to Nepal's constitution. >The present king has inherited the property of earlier king's family >and nobody knows how much it is. >This king has taken Rs 1,06,45,00,000 in past three years for his >small family > >Courtsey: Surya Thapa, Mulyankan Monthly (Nov-Dec 2005) US dollar 1 >= Rs 72 Nepal has a writing system of giving comma after two digits >except the last. > >REQUEST: >PEASE PRINT THIS AND PASTE IT ON THE NOTICE BOARD OF YOUR OFFICE. >THIS WILL GIVE ANSWER TO THE QUEST WHY NEPAL IS ALWAYS SO POOR. >PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS PAGE TO YOUR FRIEND - YOU WILL NOT GET ANY >FORTUNE BUT WILL CERTAINLY OPEN THEIR EYES. > >Thanks, >Nepali Janata