SRINAGAR : Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta today directed the government to put on hold implementation of Excise and Customs Taxes after opposition created ruckus on the issue in the House.
As soon as the Assembly assembled and speaker took up the first question, members of the main opposition National Conference (NC) and Congress were on their toes, raising slogans against government decision to implement taxes from yesterday.
When the discussion on the Budget, presented on May 30 by Minister for Finance Dr Haseeb Drabu, was still being debated how can government implement the tax proposals, the opposition questioned.
Leader of the opposition NC and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed surprise and wanted to know how the government can implement the taxes when the House has yet to clear it.
“If the taxes were proposed in the Budget 2016-17 and requires clearance of the House, why were these implemented from yesterday”, he questioned.
“We know you have the numbers in the House, but why taxes were implemented when the Budget was still being debated,” he said adding that “by doing so you are wasting our time and the time of the House”.
However, Finance minister was quick to react and said that it was a normal practice and it happens even in the Union Budget. When the excise and customs taxes are proposed in the Union Budget these are implemented immediately.
Speaker Gupta directed the government to put on hold the implementation of the taxes till the Budget is passed. (AGENCIES)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
