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Punjab cabinet nod to pilgrimage scheme, OTS for traders to clear dues
Finance minister Harpal Cheema said under the one-time settlement, a lump sum tax of up to ₹1 lakh has been waived, benefiting 39,787 traders; common state cadre of all patwaris and kanungos gets nod
The Punjab cabinet on Monday approved a pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens and a one-time settlement scheme for traders with tax dues.
The approval came during a meeting of the council of ministers, chaired by chief minister Bhagwant Mann, in Chandigarh.
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Addressing the media after the meeting, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the cabinet has approved the Mukh Mantri Tirth Yatra scheme for the elderly to visit religious places, including Nanded Sahib, Hazur Sahib, Chintpurni, Jawalaji and Naina Devi temples, through buses and trains free of charge.
This scheme will be rolled out on November 27, the birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.
A sum of ₹40 crore has been earmarked for the Mukh Mantri Tirth Yatra, Cheema said, adding a sub-committee has been formed for the scheme.
Asked about the age of people who could avail this scheme, he said the sub-committee would decide.
In another decision, Cheema said the cabinet has given its nod for the launch of a one-time settlement scheme (OTS) for the state’s traders and business community.
“We are going to give a relief to Punjab’s traders. It is a Diwali gift for them,” he said.
Under the OTS, a lump sum tax to the tune of up to ₹1 lakh has been waived. This will benefit 39,787 traders in the state.
The cabinet has approved the OTS for pending cases of the Punjab Value Added Tax Act, 2005, the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956, the Punjab Infrastructure Development Regulation Act, 2002, the Punjab General Sales Tax act, 1948, the Punjab Entertainment Tax Act, 1954, the Punjab Tax on Luxuries Act, 2009 and Punjab Institutions and Other Buildings Tax Act, 2011, the minister said.
The cabinet decided to waive 50% of tax due of traders from ₹1 lakh to ₹1 crore. There will be a total waiver on interest and penalty on tax dues, Cheema said.
He said there are 19,361 such cases where relief will be provided to the trading community. This will benefit nearly 60,000 traders, he added.
“Businessmen had raised these demands during recent interactions of chief minister Mann and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s interactions in different cities,” said Cheema.
The cabinet also okayed a common state cadre of all patwaris and kanungos. “Till date there was no common cadre of kanungos and patwaris. Today, the decision has been taken to form a common state cadre for both,” he said.
