Cong leaders oppose fresh taxes, power tariff hike
Wednesday, 01/08/2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120801/punjab.htm#8
Senior Congress leaders and party legislators led by Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa today said they would oppose levying of fresh taxes worth Rs 4,500 crore in the state.
Bajwa, a contender for the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee post, took the initiative in the absence of PCC president Capt Amarinder Singh who has gone abroad for two weeks.
Claiming that Punjab had the highest level of inflation in the country due to double taxation by the state government, the leaders said the government had misled the people by not placing the proposals for discussion in the Budget session of the Assembly. They also accused them of delaying the proposals to keep the Dasuya voters in the dark to win the by-election.
Bajwa and other leaders, including MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Navtej Singh Cheema, Aruna Chaudhary and Bharat Bhushan besides former legislators Jasbir Singh Dimpa and Raman Bhalla said Punjab had the highest level of VAT on petrol at 12.5 per cent. Petrol in the state is Rs 5 to 8 costlier than other state. They said similarly Punjab had hiked power tariff by 12 per cent and also imposed 5 per cent VAT on sugar in the state.
The leaders said by proposing to increase the retirement age from 58 to 60 years, the government would further aggravate the issue of unemployment. It would not only frustrate the youth but would also boost drug trade and crime in the state, he said.
Sukhpal Khaira condemned the policy of the SAD-BJP combine, claiming only recently the SAD had held a dharna on the issue of price rise and inflation. It is like “running with the hare and hunting with the hound,” they said.
