TUR demands govt to increase taxation for expensive pvt vehicles

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 18, 2021

The Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR) on Monday condemned the centre and state governments for failing to control price rise, which is affecting the lives of the ordinary citizens even as it demands to increase taxation for big expensive private vehicles such as SUVs.

This came in the wake of the price of petrol in the state reaching the milestone of Rs 100 per litre.

In a statement, TUR leader Angela Rangad said the price of essentials including fuel have been increasing day by day, while the wages and salary of workers have only seen  snail’s pace increase over the years.

This price rise of essentials is especially affecting the citizens of the state, the majority of whom are struggling to make ends meet because of this.

“The rise in the price of fuel has a domino effect on the price of taxi and bus fare & food and amenities,” she said. According to her, this is affecting small vendors and businesses, hawkers and street vendors, domestic workers, daily wage workers and those working in low salaried jobs.

Rangad said the TUR demands the state government to strengthen public transport in Shillong and its surrounding areas and also to increase taxation for big expensive private vehicles such as SUVs.

She said the government should control the price of essentials in the state and reduce the price of fuel substantially by reducing the relevant state levied taxes.

She added that the government should also increase the base minimum wages of the state for daily wage workers to levels which can be termed as living wages.

The TUR further demanded the government to stop unnecessary expenditure in government spending as well as to stop the practice of appointing superfluous and useless political appointees.

It also asserted the need to stop the government plan of reimbursing the income tax of non-tribal IAS officers serving in the state from the state coffers.