Cong leaders flay tax on basmati purchase
Monday, 05/10/2015
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/
Fazilka : Congress leader Hans Raj Josan has flayed the state government’s decision of re-imposing 7 per cent tax on the purchase of basmati in grain markets. Josan, general secretary, Pradesh Congress Committee, said, “The tax will hit about 4,000 rice mills in the state that are already facing a financial crisis due to fall in basmati price.”
Josan said earlier the millers, who are bulk purchasers of basmati, were in a position to offer higher price to farmers as they were not taxed. The millers would now have to pay over Rs 100 extra for every quintal purchased.
“The state government first urged the farmers to cultivate basmati for crop diversification, and then betrayed them after imposing the tax,” he alleged.
Former Congress MLA from Fazilka Dr Mohinder Rinwa alleged the government exempted paddy producers from the tax when they were getting remunerative prices. And now they were facing a crisis, the government had taxed them, he said.
