SAD demands roll back on anti people decision to effect 100 per cent hike in stamp duty on 17 items
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the Congress government for effecting a 100 per cent increase in stamp duty on 17 items, saying this would have a hugely adverse effect on trade and industry as well as the common man. Stating that this anti-people step was characteristic of the Congress government, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia said the government had increased power tariff in the last one week and had also refused to reduce State taxes on petrol and diesel. He said at a time when farmers were in crisis and committing suicide and the common man had witnessed a 20 per cent increase in power tariff besides increase in other taxes in the form of municipal tax and rural development cess, the State government has decided to increase taxes further instead of giving any relief to the common man. The Akali leader said the increase in stamp duty would make trade unviable as the duty on these commodities would be much higher than Haryana and other neighbouring States. Demanding a complete rollback, Mr Majithia said the SAD was one with traders on this issue and would agitate with them to get this autocratic decision withdrawn.
