Tax imposed on copter service for pilgrims taken in haste: BJP

The coalition partner BJP today said that the J&K minister's decision of levying service tax on helicopter service at Vaishno Devi shrine was taken in a "haste" and without consulting the party.
The Member Legislative Council (MLC) and state vice president of BJP, Vibodh Gupta, also asked the state Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu to immediately rollback the decision as this was directly linked with the belief and sentiments of a particular community.
"The decision of levying 12.5 per cent service tax on the helicopter service at Vaishno Devi pilgrims by the Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu is taken in a haste and without consulting the Coalition partner," Gupta said.

"The chopper service was put in place with a view to make it possible for the old-age and physically disabled persons to reach the Vaishno Devi shrine with ease for performing pilgrimage and not for generating revenue," Gupta said.
He said the Finance Department must not make the holy pilgrimage as a money minting machine.
"Instead the department in consultation with the state Government must allocate some funds which can be utilized to improve the facilities to be provided to the yatris," he said.
Gupta asked the Finance Department to follow the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government which is providing different types of subsidies and increased facilities for the people irrespective of their cast and religion, who are performing different types of pilgrimages across the country and abroad.