JK govt continues toll tax under GST regime; traders protest

Jammu and Kashmir may have come under the GST regime along with the rest of the country but is still imposing tolltax on trucks carrying goods into the state, claim traders who are protesting the "double taxation".
When asked about the abolishment of the toll tax, state minister and senior BJP leader Chander Prakash Ganga said it was for the government to decide on it.
"Please ask this question to Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh," he said.
Trade bodies said the imposition of the tolltax on goods sends out a message that Jammu and Kashmir is not part of 'One nation, One tax' regime under the Goods and Services Tax.

"The state government is imposing toll tax on goods at Lakhanpurentry point into J&K despite imposition of GST. This is simply doubletaxation," said Rajesh Gupta, president, Traders Federation Warehouse.
"In case of non-abolition of toll tax, the trading community will be forced to come to the roads," he said.

Even after July 8, when the GST was rolled out in the state,authorities at Lakanpur have been imposing toll tax on goods carriedin trucks to Jammu and Kashmir.
The Jammu Chamber of Commerce andIndustries and the Chamber of Traders Federation have also expressed surprise over this.
"We had totally supported the J&K government draft on the GSTwith all special powers intact only on the assumption that toll tax ongoods shall be kept away from the purview of powers enjoyed underSection 5 of the J&K's Constitution. But our hopes have been belied," said Neeraj Anand, president, Chamber of Traders Federation.

"We held a meeting with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti yesterday and raised the demand to abolish the toll tax," he said.
The state Congress unit meanwhile accused the state government and the Centre of "fooling" the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the issue.
"Toll tax is still being charged at thetoll plazas, especially those at Lakhanpur, Lower Munda and Ban," Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) senior vice president Sham Lal Sharma said.