New taxes, power tariff hike: Cong to protest from July 24

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) has decided to launch protests across the state from July 24 against the imposition of new taxes, which the opposition party dubbed as "a punitive taxation regime launched by the Akali-BJP government".

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) has decided to launch protests across the state from July 24 against the imposition of new taxes, which the opposition party dubbed as "a punitive taxation regime launched by the Akali-BJP government".

HT Image

Announcing the protests, PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh condemned the 12% power tariff hike and imposition of value-added tax and surcharge on sugar and mobile phones as "unjustified". He said this was just the beginning of a punitive taxation regime in the state and the Congress would not allow this to continue.

"We would hold protests across the state, beginning from Jalandhar on July 24," he said. Congress MLAs and other party candidates who contested the January assembly elections, district presidents and party MPs would lead the protests.

Amarinder said the Congress had continuously been cautioning people about the deceit the government was playing with them by way of bringing in a "tax-free" budget and then imposing taxes subsequently through the back door.