In another move to devastate the already crippling trade and industry in state of Punjab , a public notice has been promulgated by the purists in excise and taxation department. The notification mandates that all the dealers making transactions with in state of Punjab for value exceeding more than 2 lakhs through single bill shall compulsorily upload the information on the website of Punjab government before the goods leave the premises of a dealer. In respect of deals in commodities of iron and steel, cotton bales and yarn, edible oils, timber, marble and tiles every transaction exceeding Rs. 20,000 is required to be uploaded.
This notification is applicable from 01-06-2011.
Further notice requires dealers to maintain computer, internet connection, printer with technical person.
But the notification has not given the estimate of expenditure that is likely to be incurred in wake of the fact that 85% of the dealers in Punjab are without these facilities and have to run from pillar to post to make use of these facilities.
The estimated expenditure for creating these facilites is likely to be as under:
Computer and Printer Rs. 25000
Internet Connection Rs. 700 per month
Technical Person Rs. 5000 per month
So one time expenditure shall be Rs. 25,000 and recurring expense shall be Rs. 70,000 approx.
Whether this implicit additional burden on the public of Punjab is to make them computer savvy or whether the government has some plans to finance this expenditure from funds collected through pubic private partnership model.
What if the server of Punjab Government goes down or technical person is on leave or computer or internet connection is not working, whether the sale of goods should be suspended ?
The department already receives the e filed returns from all the dealers in Punjab where in detailed information regarding transactions of the dealers remains embedded, then why duplication of this information? Whether government has been able to make use of already filed information effectively? Whether this new notice is just an effort to accumulate more and more information even at the cost of dealers losing the business and government losing the revenue? Whether it is good governance?
Further how the department shall cover this notice with in the fold of section 51 or any other section or rule is yet to be explained, which means the legitimacy of the notice itself has not been explained.
Such an erratic and mischievous notice, we believe, has been issued with out even being brought to the notice of Chief Minister.
It appears that handful of persons with in and outside the department are continuously engaged in swooping the trade and industry like a bird of prey.
We, on the behalf of trade and industry of entire region of Punjab vehemently oppose this unsavory and uncalled for notice.
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