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 giving a major relief to more than 60,000 traders.
The approvals came during a meeting of the council of ministers, chaired by chief minister Bhagwant Mann, in Chandigarh.
According to a spokesperson of the chief minister’s office, the scheme has been launched for recovery of outstanding dues for the year 2023 for settlement of pre-GST arrears to enable reduction of compliance burden of legacy cases.
The OTS will be applicable from November 15, 2023, and will be valid till March 15, 2024, and taxpayers whose assessments have been framed till March 31, 2023, with the amount of total demand (tax, penalty and interest up to March 31, 2023) up to ₹1 crore, shall be eligible to apply for settlement under this scheme.
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 the tax due to 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.
“The OTS would provide a complete waiver in case of arrears up to ₹1 lakh as on March 31, 2023, which would cover nearly 39,787 cases and a further, waiver of 100% interest, 100% penalty and 50% of the tax amount is being given in nearly 19,361 cases. Businessmen had raised these demands during recent interactions of chief minister Mann and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s interactions in different cities,” said Cheema.
Nod for Mukh Mantri Tirarth Yatra Scheme
The cabinet also gave a nod to start the ‘Mukh Mantri’ Tirath Yatra’ scheme to enable people of the state to visit various pilgrimage sites across the country free of cost. This scheme will be rolled out on November 27, the birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.
Cheema said the scheme, for the elderly, will cover visits to religious places, including Nanded Sahib, Hazur Sahib, Chintpurni, Jawalaji and Naina Devi temples, through buses and trains free of charge.
A sum of ₹40 crore has been earmarked for the scheme, Cheema said, adding a sub-committee has been formed for the scheme.
Ex gratia for military, paramilitary doubled
The cabinet also gave its consent to double ex-gratia grant of disabled soldiers both from military and para-military forces with disability from 76% to 100% to ₹40 lakh up from ₹20 lakh. Soldiers with 51% to 75% disability will get ₹20 lakh and those with 25% to 50% disability will get ₹10 lakh.
The Cabinet also gave the green signal to amend “The East Punjab War Awards Act, 1948” to enhance the financial assistance of 83 beneficiaries from ₹10,000 per annum to ₹20,000 per annum.
The government provides ‘War Jagir’ as financial assistance to those parents whose only child or two to three children had served in the Indian Army during the Second World War, National Emergency 1962 and 1971 under “The East Punjab War Awards Act 1948.”
State cadre of Patwaris, Kanungos
The cabinet also gave the nod to create a state cadre of patwaris and kanungos to streamline the functioning of the revenue department. “To 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.