diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Accounting.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Accounting.pm
index d81c6f417..bcb42d612 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Accounting.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Accounting.pm
@@ -414,8 +414,6 @@ sub setup_accounting() {
 
 	$nonEmpty |= process_accounting_rule while read_a_line( NORMAL_READ );
 
-	clear_comment;
-
 	if ( $nonEmpty ) {
 	    my $tableref = $chain_table{$acctable};
 
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
index dbc1ee1cf..fd1af773c 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
@@ -1961,8 +1961,8 @@ sub no_comment() {
 # Clear the $comment variable and the comment stack
 #
 sub clear_comment() {
-    $comment  = '';
-    @comments = ();
+    $comment   = '';
+    @comments  = ();
 }
 
 #
@@ -2007,16 +2007,18 @@ sub do_open_file( $ ) {
 }
 
 sub open_file( $;$$$ ) {
-    my $fname = find_file $_[0];
+    my ( $fname, $mf, $ca, $nc ) = @_;
+    
+    $fname = find_file $fname;
 
     assert( ! defined $currentfile );
 
     if ( -f $fname && -s _ ) {
 	$first_entry      = 0;
 	$file_format      = 1;
-	$max_format       = supplied $_[1] ? $_[1] : 1;
-	$comments_allowed = supplied $_[2] ? $_[2] : 0;
-	$nocomment        = supplied $_[3] ? $_[3] && no_comment : 0;
+	$max_format       = supplied $mf ? $mf : 1;
+	$comments_allowed = supplied $ca ? $ca : 0;
+	$nocomment++ if supplied( $ca ) && no_comment;
 	do_open_file $fname;;
     } else {
 	$ifstack = @ifstack;
@@ -2038,10 +2040,12 @@ sub pop_include() {
 
     if ( $arrayref ) {
 	( $currentfile, $currentfilename, $currentlinenumber, $ifstack, $file_format, $max_format, $nocomment ) = @$arrayref;
+	$comment = '' unless @openstack;
     } else {
 	$currentfile       = undef;
 	$currentlinenumber = 'EOF';
-	$nocomment = $comment = 0;
+	clear_comment;
+	$nocomment = 0;
     }
 }
 
@@ -2960,7 +2964,7 @@ sub read_a_line($) {
 	    }
 
 	    if ( $comments_allowed && $currentline =~ /^\s*COMMENT\b/ ) {
-		process_comment;
+		process_comment unless $nocomment;
 		$currentline = '';
 		$currentlinenumber = 0;
 		next
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Misc.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Misc.pm
index ae8a3c880..ac070f503 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Misc.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Misc.pm
@@ -746,8 +746,6 @@ sub process_stoppedrules() {
 	}
     }
 
-    clear_comment;
-
     $result;
 }
 
@@ -1254,8 +1252,6 @@ sub setup_mac_lists( $ ) {
 
 		progress_message "      Maclist entry \"$currentline\" $done";
 	    }
-
-	    clear_comment;
 	}
 	#
 	# Generate jumps from the input and forward chains
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Nat.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Nat.pm
index 24c0dea6e..7e66c4bf7 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Nat.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Nat.pm
@@ -282,8 +282,6 @@ sub setup_masq()
 	first_entry( sub { progress_message2 "$doing $fn..."; require_capability 'NAT_ENABLED' , 'a non-empty masq file' , 's'; } );
 
 	process_one_masq while read_a_line( NORMAL_READ );
-
-	clear_comment;
     }
 }
 
@@ -396,8 +394,6 @@ sub setup_nat() {
 
 	    progress_message "   NAT entry \"$currentline\" $done";
 	}
-
-	clear_comment;
     }
 }
 
@@ -509,8 +505,6 @@ sub setup_netmap() {
 		progress_message "   Network $net1 on $iface mapped to $net2 ($type)";
 	    }
 	}
-
-	clear_comment;
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Raw.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Raw.pm
index 184039940..e3e358743 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Raw.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Raw.pm
@@ -274,8 +274,6 @@ sub setup_conntrack() {
 		}		    
 	    }
 
-	    clear_comment;
-
 	    if ( $name eq 'notrack') {
 		if ( $empty ) {
 		    if ( unlink( $fn ) ) {
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Rules.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Rules.pm
index ef9fc5a41..db967fd31 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Rules.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Rules.pm
@@ -1632,8 +1632,6 @@ sub use_policy_action( $ ) {
 sub process_macro ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) {
     my ($macro, $chainref, $target, $param, $source, $dest, $proto, $ports, $sports, $origdest, $rate, $user, $mark, $connlimit, $time, $headers, $condition, $helper, $wildcard ) = @_;
 
-    my $nocomment = no_comment;
-
     my $generated = 0;
 
 
@@ -1746,8 +1744,6 @@ sub process_macro ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) {
 
     progress_message "..End Macro $macrofile";
 
-    clear_comment unless $nocomment;
-
     return $generated;
 }
 
@@ -1757,8 +1753,6 @@ sub process_macro ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) {
 sub process_inline ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) {
     my ($inline, $chainref, $loglevel, $target, $param, $source, $dest, $proto, $ports, $sports, $origdest, $rate, $user, $mark, $connlimit, $time, $headers, $condition, $helper, $wildcard ) = @_;
 
-    my $nocomment = no_comment;
-
     my $generated = 0;
 
     my ( $level, $tag ) = split( ':', $loglevel, 2 );
@@ -1867,8 +1861,6 @@ sub process_inline ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) {
 
     pop_action_params( $oldparms );
 
-    clear_comment unless $nocomment;
-
     return $generated;
 }
 
@@ -2737,8 +2729,6 @@ sub process_rules( $ ) {
 		   );
 
 	process_rule while read_a_line( NORMAL_READ );
-
-	clear_comment;
     }
 
     $section = '';
@@ -2757,8 +2747,6 @@ sub process_rules( $ ) {
 	first_entry "$doing $fn...";
 
 	process_rule while read_a_line( NORMAL_READ );
-
-	clear_comment;
     }
 
     $section = 'DEFAULTACTION';
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm
index bd7404736..5281f88bc 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm
@@ -1869,8 +1869,6 @@ sub process_tcpri() {
 
 	process_tc_priority while read_a_line( NORMAL_READ );
 
-	clear_comment;
-
 	if ( $ipp2p ) {
 	    insert_irule( $mangle_table->{tcpost} ,
 			  j => 'CONNMARK --restore-mark --ctmask ' . in_hex( $globals{TC_MASK} ) ,
@@ -2394,8 +2392,6 @@ sub setup_tc() {
 
 	    process_tc_rule while read_a_line( NORMAL_READ );
 
-	    clear_comment;
-
 	}
 
 	if ( my $fn = open_file( 'secmarks', 1, 1 ) ) {
@@ -2404,7 +2400,6 @@ sub setup_tc() {
 
 	    process_secmark_rule while read_a_line( NORMAL_READ );
 
-	    clear_comment;
 	}
 
 	handle_stickiness( $sticky );
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tunnels.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tunnels.pm
index 9d7f45dcf..35c2a0083 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tunnels.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tunnels.pm
@@ -298,8 +298,6 @@ sub setup_tunnels() {
 	    fatal_error 'ZONE must be specified' if $zone eq '-';
 	    setup_one_tunnel $kind, $zone, $gateway, $gatewayzones;
 	}
-
-	clear_comment;
     }
 }