Nagaland government issued notice on ‘illegal taxation’ by Gauhati HC

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Dec. 12 (EMN): The Kohima Bench of Gauhati High Court has served notice to the government of Nagaland on December 11 after admitting public interest litigation (PIL) regarding alleged rampant collection of taxes in Nagaland.

The PIL was filed by three social organisations, namely Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland, Public Action Committee (PAC) and Business Association of Nagaland (BAN), against the state government, represented by the chief secretary, chairperson of Central Board of Indirect Taxes (New Delhi), commissioner and secretary of Municipal and Tribal Affairs, commissioner of Nagaland, commissioner of Taxes Dimapur and deputy commissioner of taxes Kohima, administrators of municipal councils of Dimapur and Kohima and the director-general of police (DGP) Nagaland.

According to reports, the PIL filed under Article 226, seeks the court’s intervention to pass necessary directives with regard to “illegal taxation” collected by various government departments, Naga political groups etc.

It stated that the petitioners were not challenging the Goods and Services Tax or any other tax imposed legally in accordance with the provisions of the constitution but the “illegal taxation” in the state was ‘creating fear and resentment amongst the business community and the public.’

A two-judge bench of the Gauhati High Court in an order served notices on the respondents on December 11, returnable within five weeks. The senior government advocate accepted the notice on behalf of all the respondents, except Central Board of Indirect Taxes and the petitioners were asked to take steps to serve notice within three days.

The matter is to be listed again after court’s ‘winter vacation.’