SCC SUBMITS MEMORANDUM TO COMMISSIONER INCOME TAX

PRESS RELEASE

SCC SUBMITS MEMORANDUM TO COMMISSIONER INCOME TAX AT SILIGURI SIGNED BY SIX THOUSAND PEOPLE


A 30 member delegation of Sikkim Chamber of Commerce drawn from all the four districts of Sikkim visited Income tax Commissioner’s office at Matigara, Siliguri and submitted a memorandum signed by around six thousand persons in support thereof on 6th March 2009.

The Memorandum was submitted to the Commissioner Shri C L Denzongpa who also holds additional charge of Sikkim region .

SCC President S.K.Sarda thanked Government of India for having exempted the Sikkim Subjects and COI holders from Income Tax. He drew attention of the Union Government that 400 families ( as on the date of merger ) of Sikkimese of Indian Origin who are settled in Sikkim since four to five generations have inadvertently been left out from the same even while they qualified, as the criteria adopted was residence immediately before 26th April 1975, the date of merger of the erstwhile kingdom into the Union..

The memorandum requested Ministry of Finance, Government of India to:

1. Grant similar exemption to these left out people residing in Sikkim prior to the date of merger i.e., 26th April 1975.

2. To allow some time to enable people and persons to understand the new system of Indian Income Tax and its forms, formats, rules, regulations, documentations, accounting procedures, compliance formalities, datelines, penalties etc and further to declare the prospective effect of the Act to commence from Assessment year 2010-11 as also recommended in para 3 (l) by the Government of Sikkim vide memo no GOS/IT&CT/2005-06/11-I (B)(96) 193 dt 18th August 2006, with immunity from penalties for a reasonable period making the system workable and acceptable at large in respect of others.

It was also submitted that a survey of the said 400 families as advised is in progress, to be submitted for consideration by both the State and Union Governments.

The memorandum states that the people are unable to adapt the Income Tax Act 1961 so suddenly being besieged with a fear psychosis and completely innocent of the Act and need extensive education on book keeping to match the requirements of the Income Tax Act 1961 by way of workshops, awareness camps and training programmes.

It was also conveyed to the Government of India through the Commissioner Shri C L Denzongpa that the State Governnment under the leadership of Dr Pawan Chamling is fully sympathetic on the matter and doing its best to solve both the issues raised by the Chamber . The Chief Minister Hon’ble Dr Pawan Chamling has personally taken up the matter with the authorities in the Centre and also been kind enough to adopt a resolution to such effect in his Party’s foundation day on 4th March 2009.

Sikkim Chamber of Commerce and the business community of Sikkim is grateful to all the people of Sikkim and especially Dr Pawan Chamling, Chief Minister for their sincere efforts in this direction.


(Suresh Agarwal)
General Secretary
Sikkim Chamber of Commerce
Gangtok

Dated Gangtok the 6th March 2009