Old settlers seek cut off year for migrants for tax exemption
Gangtok: The Sikkim Nationalist Peoples
Party (SNPP) on Wednesday urged the Sikkim government to announce a cut off year for migrants in the state to avail the benefit of
income tax exemption.
While about 73,000 migrant Nepalese who obtained Indian
citizenship in 1990s were eligible for the exemption, a huge
chunk of population living in the state for several decades
were denied the benefit for lack of required documents, SNPP
chief Coordinator, D N Kazi told reporters here.
The state government should immediately convene an all
party meeting to evolve a consensus on the cut off year for
the entitlement of the exemption, he said.
Kazi urged the state government to ensure that no other
central taxes, like wealth tax, be levied upon the Sikkimese
people who enjoyed a special status under Article 371(F) of
the Constitution.
The Centre has extended income tax exemption to the
indigenous Nepalese, Lepcha and Bhutia people on the criteria
of identification laid down by the state government.
PTI