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Making all efforts to facilitate industry: Gehlot
Jaipur, February 1, 2012 (PTI): Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said his
government is making every effort to facilitate trade and industry in the state by addressing their issues.
"After improvement and simplification in the taxation process, traders
have felt relief in the last three years," he said addressing the inaugural session of the state-level Tax Advisory Committee meeting.
He said several decisions were taken in the state Budget for 2011-12,
according to submission given by the Tax Advisory Committee. A relief of Rs 300 crore was provided to the people of the state by
providing VAT exemption on various commodities, he added. The Chief Minister said the state was ahead in accepting e-payment
system and as a result of that, tax worth Rs 7,500 crore is being collected through information technology.
"E-registration, e-payment, e-returns, e-refund have been implemented by
the Commercial Tax department for the facility of the tax payers."
Industry Minister Rajendra Pareek, state Planning Board Vice-Chairman VS
Vyas, Additional Chief Secretary CK Methew, Principal Secretary (Industries) Sunil Arora and representatives of the trade and industry
sector were also present in the meeting.
Textile bandh against VAT
VIJAYAWADA, January 23, 2012: With no signs of the State government responding to their request to
withdraw the Value Added Tax (VAT) on textiles, the traders have decided
to organise bandh from Monday onwards. Some of the traders have already
downed their shutters in Vastralatha and others areas in protest against
the VAT being imposed on textiles.The Andhra Pradesh Textile Federation has given a call to observe a
week-long bandh from January 22, which happens to be a Sunday. So, the
bandh would come into force effectively from Monday.
The traders observed three-day bandh in December following raids by
commercial taxes department. The CT officials raided the shops in a strategic manner in December which is Christmas-Sankranti season. The
tussle ended with the intervention of Vijayawada (West) MLA Velampalli
Srinvasa Rao.
The federation strongly condemned the raids and the government's
indifferent attitude towards the cloth merchants. The traders also planned to organise ‘Chalo Hyderabad' if the government fails to respond
to the demand. Strongly deploring imposition of VAT on textiles, the traders said VAT
would become a big burden on consumers and affect the textile business
in the State. Only Andhra Pradesh government was imposing it. “We don't mind if any tax is imposed across India as it will impose
burden equally. Our concern is that the business is going to neighbouring states such as Tamil Nadu where there is no VAT on
textiles,” they said. Source: The Hindu
Pranab to meet state FMs on CST compensation, GST in February
NEW DELHI, January 18, 2012: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will hold a meeting with the state counterparts next month to sort out
the issues concerning Central Sales Tax (CST) compensation and implementation of the goods and services tax
(GST). "States have raised issue of CST compensation and GST. Finance Minister
Mukherjee asked the state representatives to stick to the pre-budget consultations and give suggestion regarding that," Bihar Deputy Chief
Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who heads a panel of state finance ministers on GST, said.
Modi was speaking to the reporters after a pre-budget consultative
meeting with finance ministers of states and Union Territories. The states, he said, also pressed for abolishing upper limit of
professional tax and demanded greater freedom to impose the levy. The government in 1998 had increased the maximum rate of professional
tax, which is levied on doctors, lawyers and other professionals, to Rs
2,500 from Rs 250 per annum. "There should be an amendment to remove this upper limit of professional
tax," he added. The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST has already
deliberated on the issue of CST in their earlier meetings. Several states have expressed unhappiness over the delay in release of
funds by the Centre to compensate them for revenue losses on account of phased withdrawal of CST.
The Centre has released only Rs 900 crore to states as CST compensation, as against the provision of Rs 12,000 crore in the Budget for 2011-12.
CST, a tax imposed on the inter-state movement of goods, was reduced from 4 per cent to 3 per cent in 2007-08 and further to 2 per cent in
2008-09 after the introduction of Value-Added Tax (VAT).
Delhi Finance Minister A K Walia demanded that the state's share in
central taxes be raised from Rs 325 crore to Rs 1,000 crore per annum as
it has been increased since 2001. Walia also demanded that all sale proceed money of the Delhi Development
Authority (DDA) should go to Delhi government as against the Urban Development Ministry currently.He also made a case for setting up of 10 hospitals in the National
Capital Region and five in the Delhi city to cater to the need of
growing population of the capital. Source: The Economic Times
Don't extend price control beyond 348 drug list: Pfizer
New Delhi January 05, 2012 (PTI) : The world's largest drug-maker, Pfizer, today said the industry supports
the government's initiative to bring 348 drugs in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) under price control, but the ambit should not
be extended further. "The industry is largely supportive of the NLEM List. But what we are
saying (is) that do not go beyond the NLEM List," Pfizer India MD Kewal Handa said here today.
Based on the existing list of 348 drugs, 75% of the industry will come
under price control. Any extension of the list will make the domestic industry less attractive and investment will go outside, he added.
Handa was speaking at an event organised by the Associated Chambers of
Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) on the proposed National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy.
"Let us be firm on 348 drugs. The government should not go beyond it," he added.
Handa said the government should instead say there will be no taxes
(excise and VAT) on NLEM drugs, which would really help the Indian pharma industry.
Pfizer is present in India through its Mumbai-based subsidiary, Pfizer Ltd.
"There is also a general perception that only price control or price reduction is linked to access of medicines," Handa said.
A reduction in drug prices alone will not be able to provide access to
medicines for all, as the public health system faces immense challenges
on account of poor infrastructure and inadequate health insurance coverage, he added.
For ensuring access to medicines, the focus has to be on improving infrastructure and healthcare.
The draft NPPP, 2011, proposes to bring 60% of the total domestic
pharmaceutical market, amounting to nearly Rs 29,000 crore, under price
control by bringing all 348 drugs specified in the National List of Essential Medicines, 2011, under price control.
It seeks to regulate the price of drug formulations only, unlike the existing principle of controlling the prices of specified bulk drugs and
their formulations as adopted in the Drug Policy, 1994. |
