Entry tax generates the revenue to the government coffers at the same time increasing the burden of the common man who is always at the receiving end. If you remember correctly government had set up the toll booth at Pernem Taluka two years back to collect the entry tax from the outside Goa registered vehicles to generate the revenue. That led to increase in the cost of vegetable and grains coming to Goa from neighboring states. This decision was the replication of entry tax rule in the neighboring states like Karnataka and Maharashtra.
The recent decision of Goa government to extend the entry tax charged on vehicles from other states on locally-registered vehicles had lead to blocking of the roads by the Goa Registered vehicles at Dargalim in Pernem and Dodamarg on the Goa Maharashtra border in Bicholim Taluka. The traffic block was lasted for more than 5 hours on Monday. The traffic was finally streamlined only after the assurance from Chief Minister to put the tax decision on the hold for the time being. “The tax would be put on hold for a temporary period till government comes out with an alternative” Said Parsekar.
According to the sources, Government had served the circular to PWD to extend the entry tax to Goa-registered vehicles. Within no time the authorities at the toll booth had started to implement the measures by charging the GA-registered vehicles which subsequently lead to protest from Goa based vehicle owners resulting the blocking of roads paralyzing the traffic in North Goa for more than 5 hours. With the roads blocked by drivers who refused to pay the tax and refused to budge their vehicles, several vehicles, including out-of-state ones, took diversions at Camurlim and Vazri-Pirna, evading the tax.
The PWD had notified a draft in May 2014 proposing to impose the entry tax on Goa-registered vehicles. The state entry tax was first implemented in April 2013, based on an amendment to the Goa, Daman and Diu Highways Act, 1974. The charges were fixed at Rs 100 for three-wheelers per trip, Rs 250 for four-wheelers, Rs 500 for tempo vehicles and Rs 1,000 for trucks per trip. Two-wheelers are exempted. Until now, the tax was only imposed on private and commercial motor vehicles registered in other states of India.
Goa state congress has condemned the move of the state government’s move of imposing the entry on local commercial vehicles. “Goa government has been taxing people out rightly. They have hiked the tax on everything. Now they are imposing entry tax on commercial vehicles entering the state, which will fuel the inflation,” Goa Congress spokesman Sunil Kawathankar told the media. Kawathankar said such a tax would hike prices of essential commodities in the state as Goa has been depending on neighboring states for them. “Government is not acting in favor of common man. They are acting like a government for the rich,” he said.
Source: PTI
