Nagaland: Indefinite shutter down lifted; Govt responds to illegal taxation
AT Photo
Nagaland, April 30: The Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CNCCI), which called for a state-wide shutter down, in line with the Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI)’s protest against multiple taxation by Naga Political Groups (NPGs), lifted the ban on shops and business establishments, starting Tuesday.
According to the CNCCI, the decision to end the shutter down was made after the state government responded positively to a five-point charter of demands sought by the DCCI. While the DCCI raised concerns regarding the legality of "taxation" imposed by the NPGs, the state government issued a clarification on Monday evening, asserting its stand against any form of illegal taxation or coercive collection by any group or individual in the state.
The government emphasised that businesses and individuals are only obligated to pay GST or any other legal taxes to the state government.
In response to the DCCI, the state government said that only statutory bodies and law enforcement agencies of the state government are authorised to issue summons to individuals involved in legal conflicts.The government denounced any summons issued by non-governmental entities as illegal, advising aggrieved parties to seek recourse through the appropriate law enforcement authorities for resolution of their grievances.
While addressing a press conference, Deputy CM Y Patton assured that the state government will leave no stone unturned over any form of illegal activities in Nagaland.
He urged the business community and the public to report any case of extortion so that action can be initiated as per the law. He informed that extortionists would be booked under the National Security Act.
In this regard, DGP Rupin Sharma added that such cases under the NSA will be handled outside the state.
The officer added that extortion is not permitted under the Ceasefire Ground Rules (CFGR) agreed between the Government of India and the Naga political groups.
