PROTEST INCOME TAX BEGINS IN SIKKIM

Trading community begins phase II

Staff Reporter ( Sikkim Express)
GANGTOK, September 24: Sporting black bands, the business community here led by Sikkim Chamber of Commerce (SCC) today submitted a reminder plea to the Governor appealing for resolve the issues that had arisen after the implementation of Income Tax Act, 1961 in Sikkim.

The black bands and memorandum submission marks the beginning of a two day protest activities by the business community as part of its phase two programmes to highlight its concerns over the Income Tax issue.

As announced earlier, around 35000 business community members residing in Sikkim today carried out their normal works branding two symbols of its phase two protest – black bands in their arms and protest poster stuck inside their business outlets.

Most of the business community members here seen around with blank bands and posters stuck inside commercial outlets. Reports from the other urban areas of Sikkim were also similar.

“We had an overwhelming response in the first day, the protest was carried out smoothly without any disturbances in all the four districts of the State”, said the SCC president SK Sarda.

Some local business people also supported the SCC protest by wearing black bands.

In its representation to the Governor, the business community expressed its anguish over the action of the Centre to define old settlers of Sikkim as ‘non Sikkimese’. The old settlers prefer to be denoted as ‘left out Sikkimese’ and their reference as ‘non Sikkimese’ may please be discontinued, the body pleaded to the Governor.
The SCC also reminded the Governor of its earlier representation of August 20.

The Governor was appealed to recommend the concerns of the business community to the Union Finance Ministry for resolving the issue at the earliest.

Similar representations were submitted to the Chief Minister, Gangtok Income Tax Officer, Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary.

Reiterating their demands, the SCC president said that the Union government must exempt to 400 families of old settlers residing in Sikkim before merger took place on April 26, 1975. These families had been inadvertently left out, he said.

The other demand of the business community was the Income Tax 1961 should be implemented in Sikkim on a prospective date as assured by the Union Finance Minister and not from this financial year.

Mr. Sarda expressed the hopes of the business community is ‘very hopeful’ that an appropriate solution will soon come from Centre.

( sOURCE: sIKKIM eXPRESS)