Shimla, April 1 (Inditop.com) A bill to impose an entry tax of up to seven percent on the transit of certain goods was passed by the Himachal Pradesh assembly Thursday.
The government is hoping to generate around Rs.50 crore annually from the new tax, an official said.
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said that most hydropower companies and industrialists have been bringing goods for consumption, sale and construction from outside the state without paying any tax.
‘We want to check the tax leakages… there will be no fresh burden on the common man, and we are targeting big companies that are doing mega projects on a turnkey basis,’ he said.
Once the bill gets the governor’s consent, seven percent tax on diesel, furnace oil and lubricants, five percent on cement and four percent on iron, steel, ‘pan masala’ and cigars and cigarettes will be imposed.
The bill, however, exempts agriculture implements, agricultural or horticultural produce and aid for the handicapped.
