Traders to resist ‘Commissioner Raj’
Karra’s Special Commissioner Proposal Draws Flak
MUDASIR ALI (Greater Kashmir)
Srinagar, Jan 21: Finance minister Tariq Hamid Karra’s proposal to have a special commissioner of appeals has been criticized by the Kashmiri traders who on Monday termed it a propaganda by the government to ‘wipe out’ the Kashmir trade industry.
The FM had proposed in his budget speech to have a special commissioner of appeals who shall hear appeals against the orders passed by assistant commissioners and deputy commissioners and to have an intermediate rung of officers between the commercial tax officer (CTO) and the deputy commissioner to assess audits of the dealers.
“The proposal by the FM is nothing but propaganda by government to wipe out Kashmiri trade,” said Farooq Ahmad Shah, president Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF), addressing a pressing conference here.
Shah accused that FM was aware of the fact that setting up of the new posts will increase the hardships for traders.
“FM has proposed special commissioner of appeals. They will be all men from government to exploit the traders at their will,” Shah said.
The traders, Shah said, were expecting that opposition National Conference will speak on this ‘anti-trader’ proposal. “But they’re silent and now we have no choice but to oppose the proposal publicly. We hope government will not compel us to come on roads,” Shah said.
He termed the proposal as a political move by the government to accommodate some ‘blue-eyed’ persons in the establishment.
“Elections are coming nearer and politicians have to keep their people in good humor. Hundreds of relatives of influential persons and politicians will be absorbed on these posts only to pile up the miseries of traders and manufacturers,” Shah said, adding, “Otherwise there are already so many government agencies existing meant for the same purpose.”
Shah said chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on VAT, Dr Asim Dasgupta, on his recent visit to Kashmir admitted that revenue collection through the implementation of VAT regime has gone up to 54 percent.
“He (chairman) is on record to have asked other states to follow J&K as a role model. But FM maintains that the collection has gone up to only 35 percent. Where are the remaining 19 percent? Though implementation of VAT has brought losses to traders as well as consumers but we continued to support the government. Instead of encouraging the traders they are hell bent on destroying the trader community,” Shah said. The basic aim of the implementation of the VAT, Shah said, was to abolish the inspector Raj and allow commercial tax department to act as facilitator between trading community and government.
“Instead, government has proposed to set up commissioner Raj and wipe out the trading community. We wouldn’t accept this,” Shah said.