Toll Tax recovery hampers Basmati rice export: CCI

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 4: Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Jammu and Federation of Rice Shelling Industries (FRSI)  today  alleged that with the recovery of  Toll Tax at Lakhanpur, the export of broken Basmati rice has hampered the trade.
A deputation of the  Federation led by president CCI Jammu Y V Sharma and other members met the Principal Secretary Finance, B B Vyas  here today and brought to his notice that export of Basmati rice is exempted from the purview of Toll Tax  as per SRO 83 with effect from  April Ist, 2008. After  the said SRO, the practice of charging Toll Tax at Lakhanpur on export of  Basmati and the broken Basmati rice was stopped.  It is unfortunate that the authorities at Lakhanpur have again started charging Toll Tax on the broken (Tota) Basmati rice which is hampering export process. It was requested that it should be stopped immediately and the Toll Tax on husk and rice polish should also be lifted.
The delegation also brought to the notice of Principal Secretary Finance that Commercial Taxes authorities at Lakhanpur retain the  spare parts brought from outside the State under the plea that such items are not inserted  in the PMT registration certificate issued by DIC  and when we approached the DIC for insertion of said items in the registration certificates, they insist to obtain permission for import of such items every time instead of inserting  the same in the registration certificates which is not understandable.
The delegation also pointed out that the unemployed youth from R S Pura are unable to establish their units in the industrial areas located at Bari Brahmana in Samba and are compelled to establish their units at R S Pura which is non-notified area  thus denying the incentives to them. As such the Rice Shelling industry should be provided interest subsidy as was previously available to R S Pura rice millers.
Prominent among others who accompanied included Sham Lal Langar (SrVP CCI), Deepak Aggarwal ( Secy CCI), B B Gupta ( Treasurer CCI) and  Koushal Kular senior vice president Federation of Shelling Industries and others.