Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 4: Uproarious scenes were witnessed in the Legislative Assembly over collection of more taxes from Jammu despite more population in the Kashmir valley with Jammu-based Opposition MLAs staging walkout.
The uproar started when Finance Minister, in reply to the question of NPP MLA, Harshdev Singh revealed that tax collection from Jammu division was more as compared to Kashmir province.
“On one side the Government is claiming that population of Kashmir valley is more than the Jammu province and on the other side collection of taxes is much more from Jammu’, Harshdev Singh said, adding “this is sheer discrimination with Jammu”.
“The figures provided by the Finance Minister clearly reveal that 76% of the total taxes are being collected from the Jammu region and remaining from the Kashmir despite the fact that Valley has 11 lakh more population in comparison to Jammu”, he said, adding “when it comes to expenditure on the developmental schemes the Government spends more in Kashmir valley”.
About the denial of information regarding defaulters of various kinds of taxes, the NPP MLA said, “concealing this vital information clearly indicates that there is no intention of the department to recover the arrears from the defaulters”.
He was supported by BJP as well as JSM MLAs, who started shouting slogans alleging discrimination with Jammu. After creating uproar over the discrimination issue, the agitating MLAs staged walk-out.
Earlier, Finance Minister informed the House that Excise Department has realized Rs 76174.76 lakh worth tax from Jammu division as compared to Rs 5179.39 lakh worth tax from Kashmir division during the financial year 2011-12. Similarly, Rs 85887.17 lakh tax was collected from Jammu region and Rs 5682.54 lakh from Kashmir division during 2012-13 financial year.
Similarly, Commercial Taxes Department collected Rs 242652.11 lakh tax from Jammu as compared to Rs 112026.76 lakh from Kashmir valley during 2011-12 financial year and Rs 307074.95 lakh tax from Jammu and Rs 127812.36 from Kashmir valley during 2012-13 financial year.
About the details of defaulters of various kinds of taxes, the Minister said, “as the matter is sub-judice and is pending before the High Court, the rules of procedure and conduct of business in Legislative Assembly don’t permit furnishing of this information”.
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