Assam government's new taxation policy leaves opposition seeing red

Assam government's new taxation policy, whereby holding of public rallies, public meets, or even hold festive events like Bihu have being made taxable, has left the general people miffed. But even more agitated are the opposition parties who are calling it a clear failure of the Himanta Biswa Sarma government in managing the economics of the state. 

The Congress party is going all guns blazing against the BJP government, calling it devoid of an economic roadmap. 

Assam Congress leader Mira Borthakur has questioned the government's move and has said that already a lot of items are being taxed with high rates and now levying taxes on public rallies and events is like gagging the people economically. 

"We want to ask the Chief Minister that does he want to want to run the state as a Dada or Mama or does he want to run the state as a Chief Minister? We are already paying tax and GST on several items. Now taxes would have to be given to the government to conduct street plays that promote social awareness. Governments give money to NGOs and organisations to spread social awareness among the people. Now people will have to pay taxes for this. The people around the Chief Minister can possess any costly item amounting to lakhs. But people will not sit tight if they gag them down with the burden of taxes like this. Himanta Biswa Sarma has lost it. While the playing the stunt as a Mama or Dada, he is pushing Assam towards darkness," said Borthakur. 

Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi has compared the BJP government to the East India Company and has said that taxes are being increased to make up for the mismanagement of the government. 

"This government has become like the East India Company. The Chief Minister is spending crores for helicopters. They have spent about Rs 350 crore in the name of helicopters and chartered flights. They spend between Rs 50 lakhs to one or one and half crores each week in the name of holding cabinet meetings. Every time they are changing cabinet meeting venues and spending lots of money. Is that not public money? They are also spending money on advertisements. Upto Rs 100 crores are spent on events when the Prime Minister or Home Minister comes. This is an anti-public government. Without the increased taxation they cannot run the government. There is a debt of one and half lakh rupees on the government, and now they have increased the taxes. Taxes are increasing, but not people's incomes," said the AJP president. 

As opposed to the opposition parties' views, BJP leader and East Guwahati constituency MLA Siddhartha Bhattacharya has justified the government's move terming it as a way to control the number of events that are happening in busy cities like Guwahati. 

"I feel it is reasonable to an extent. After holding a social event, nobody cleans up the field. If a fees of Rs 200 or 300 is taken, then it helps the government to keep the field clean. There is a mushrooming of events here. I think there will be some control of government over mushrooming of programmes. Plays spreading social awareness are also events. Going by the opposition's reckoning, we won't be able to impose amusement tax on the screning of movies too. I don't find any anomaly in government imposing some reasonable tax on such events," said Bhattacharya. 

But will the new taxation policy have any impact on the political landscape? At a time when every party is gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections early next year, opposition parties in Assam are viewing the latest taxation policy by the state government as something that will backfire for the BJP politically. 

Congress's Mira Borthakur feels that this is going to be a major issue in Assam in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. 

"It is going to be a major issue for sure. The government is going to give the maintenance of the four-lane Srirampur toll gate. This is quite unfortunate. They should just shut down the concerned departments then. Earlier people used to procure legal affidavits for signing agreements at just Rs 50 or 20. Today the 500 rupee rated affidavit has been increased to Rs 1000 or 2000. In Guwahati, land rates have been increased to Rs 40 lakh per katha. People are left gasping for breath. Hence the Chief Minister does not have any economic roadmap. They are just interested in collecting taxes and creating beneficiaries," said Borthakur. 

The AJP president also said that this is will snowball into a major issue ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

"Inflation has always been a big issue. When BJP won the elections in 2014, their main issue was price rise. The increased taxation has made lives miserable for the people. This is a fascist government, and their behavior is like that of a colonial government. They are behaving just like the East India Company," said Lurinjyoti Gogoi. 

As per the latest notice by the Assam government's home department, people will now have to pay Rs 300 to even take permission for cultural processions, events, Bihu, ceremonies, etc. Additionally, Rs 2,000 for permission for political rallies, events and meetings, Rs 2,000 for permission for all types of sporting events, Rs 500 for permission for street plays, awareness rallies, events, Rs. 5000 for permission for trade fairs, food fairs; Rs 50,000 charge in Guwahati for commercial construction permission while Rs 25,000 in other parts of the state, Rs 10,000 for permission of opening petrol pumps and gas agencies, fee of Rs 300 for private employment verification, fee of Rs 300 for verification of rented accommodation and PG and Rs 300 fee for verification of workers involved in construction.

Earlier most of the taxes were paid to the government but now it has been revised and increased again. The taxes now have to be paid via the Assam Police Sewa portal.