The North News
Chandigarh, March 11
The Punjab government will consider the possibility of imposing an entry tax on vehicles registered in Himachal Pradesh, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema informed the state assembly on Wednesday.
Cheema also slammed the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government for making an “exorbitant” increase in the entry tax on vehicles from other states and asserted that the Sukvinder Singh Sukhu government did so as it was on the verge of being “bankrupt”.
The minister was replying to a question of Rupnagar MLA Dinesh Chadha, who asked whether there was any proposal under consideration of the government to impose entry tax on vehicles entering in the state on the pattern of Himachal Pradesh.
Cheema pointed out that under the ‘One Nation, One Tax’ theory, no state can impose any tax on other state.
But it is sad to say that the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh raised an entry tax on vehicles from other states from Rs 70 to Rs 170 a vehicle, said Cheema while saying that most of Punjabis travel to the neighbouring state.
Pointing towards the “poor” financial situation of the Himachal government, Cheema said today the situation in the neighbouring state is such that dearness allowance of employees has been frozen while new recruitments have been stopped.
A scheme of giving free electricity up to 200 units to the poor has also been stopped, he claimed.
“Today Congress party’s Himachal government is on the verge of being bankrupt. That is why they raised the entry tax,” Cheema claimed.
The minister said he will urge the Local Bodies minister to get relevant laws studied to see whether municipal councils located along the Punjab-HP border can charge entry tax on Himachal-registered vehicles.
Cheema also said he would consult with the public works department minister, the advocate general and legal experts in this regard, saying, “if we could impose it, then will definitely do so”.
After the Himachal government raised the entry fee on vehicles coming from other states last month, there was resentment among commuters who frequently travel to the hill state and residents of Punjab villages close to the Himachal border.
At that time, Chadha had demanded that the Punjab government should impose reciprocal entry tax on Himachal-registered vehicles entering the state.
