Bihar Assembly passes two bills amid oppn protest over NRC

The Bihar Assembly on Tuesday passed two bills amid din by opposition members over the demand for a resolution to prevent the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state.

The two bills passed were Bihar Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and Bihar Taxation Disputes Resolution Bill, 2019.

Opposition members continued with slogan-shouting all through the proceedings that lasted for 30 minutes in the post lunch session and the bills were passed before Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary adjourned the House till 11 am on Wednesday.

During the debate on the taxation disputes resolution bill, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that the government has brought out a 'One Time Settlement' (OTS) scheme for resolution of all pending cases under old tax laws/statutes which were in force before the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The GST was implemented on July 1, 2017 in the country.

Cases relating to sales tax, electricity duty, luxury, entertainment and advertisement tax, entry tax and others can be resolved under the OTS scheme which will be in force for three months, said Modi, who also holds the finance portfolio.

The tenure for the scheme can also be extended by another three months by the state government, he said, adding that around half a dozen states including West Bengal, Kerala, Harayana and Rajasthan have already come out with such programme.

Speaking on the another bill, the deputy chief minister said it proposes to increase the threshold limit from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 40 lakh for getting traders registered under GST Act.

Furnishing "Aadhaar" number has been made mandatory for registration and a provision has also been made to acquire the same from traders who have already been registered under the Act, he said.

It was proposed that traders under the GST composition scheme can now file their annual returns instead of filing it quarterly, but they will have to pay tax on a quarter basis, he said.

Some more amendments have also been proposed in the bill in order to facilitate better tax administration, state finance minister said.

Earlier in the day, the opposition members of the Congress, RJD and CPI (ML), rushed to the well of the House, raising slogans against the state government and the Centre over the NRC issue.

Amid ruckus, the speaker adjourned the House till 2pm.

The opposition members said a resolution should be passed by the assembly, stating that the NRC would not be implemented in Bihar.