Khaira urges SAD-BJP govt to review tax on marriage palaces
Wednesday, 07/11/2012
http://punjabnewsline.com/news/Khaira-urges-SAD_BJP-govt-to-review-tax-on-marriage-palaces.html
CHANDIGARH: Former Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has asked the SAD-BJP government in the state to withdraw the ordinance issued to impose property tax in the state and should bring the matter for threadbare discussion, in the Vidhan Sabha during the next winter session.
Khaira said the proposed property tax ranging from 1% on residential properties to 10% on the hotels of the state is draconian.
Khaira added that people were already reeling under severe circumstances of inflation and costly living. “Further burdening the common citizen with such punitive taxes would only add to the woes of the people.”
“I strongly condemn the unfair and unrealistic taxes being imposed on the marriage places. At the moment, it is only the marriage palace industry that is flourishing, providing some employment and generating revenue for the state. All other industries have taken flight to other states like H.P. and Gujarat owing to poor infrastructure, lack of power and red-tapism in the state,” he said.
He further added that no new investment of any nature had come to Punjab for the last many years due to poor business conditions. “Therefore, imposing taxes such as Rs. 4 - Rs. 50 lac per acre external development charges (EDC), CLU and Licence Fees (LF) is totally uncalled for. Such stringent measures would only force marriage palace owners to close their units,” he pointed out.
Asking the government to rollback the decision, he said instead of imposing such huge taxes on the ordinary people, the government should adopt austerity measures and cut down on wasteful and extravagant expenditure.
There is no need to buy a new helicopter worth Rs. 45 crore nor build a heliport at village Badal worth Rs. 100 cr, there is no need to buy SUV Jeeps for ministers or give Rs. 1 crore tax payers money to elitist schools like Sanawer HP, he said.
“The government should immediately withdraw the punitive property tax and the draconian tax structure on marriages palaces. In case the government goes ahead with the anti-people measure, the leadership will be urged to launch a sustained agitation on the issues,” he urged.
