Taxation legitimate right of every nation state, says NSCN (IM)

Dimapur, June 23 (EMN): Following the clarification from the Centre refuting NSCN (IM)’s statement on taxation, NSCN (IM) has accused the government of attempting to ‘criminalise the Naga political movement by questioning the taxation right of the NSCN’.

In a statement on Wednesday, NSCN (IM) stated that ‘NSCN collected taxes to support the Naga people’s political movement, which started in 1929 even before India got independence from the British. Opposing the Naga tax is nothing short of obstructing the Naga political movement and to let the Naga people to be enslaved by India’.

‘Taxation was there during the Naga National Council (NNC) time and now under National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) which has taken over to spearhead the Naga political movement. NSCN is a genuine political group and a government of the people with total commitment to find an honourable political settlement and it should not be treated at par with other outfits that have different objectives that are not going to benefit the Nagas in the final moment but only for temporary benefits,’ read the statement.

It stated that NSCN was not working for packages from the government of India but for ‘an honourable and acceptable political settlement with India’ and added that the ‘nominal taxations’ would continue as it is.

NSCN (IM) further pointed out that the government of India opposing taxations by the NSCN violated the Framework Agreement, stating that the two entities had agreed to coexist peacefully as ‘two different entities sharing sovereign power’.

“Moreover, taxation is the legitimate right of every government of a nation state. The Nagas declared their independence status as a sovereign nation one day ahead of India and defended its sovereign right thus far. The Naga nation does not require permission from the Government of India for taxation. The matter remains loud and clear that at no point of time the Nagas became Indians either by conquest or consent,” it read.