Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 29
Election is round the corner and so are the expectations of the people rising about the next government looking into their welfare better than ever.
The Morung Express interacted with some of the business community in Dimapur, the commercial hub of the state, collecting views about their expectations on the next government and also the problems faced by them. Most of the businessmen decried the heavy taxation which they said was enormously hampering the economic growth of the state.
President of Nagaland Medicine Dealers’ Association, Ato Yepthomi said heavy taxation by numerous unauthorised organisations have discouraged not only the local entrepreneurs but entry of genuine products and commodities in the state. He hoped for early settlement of the prolonged Naga political issue involving all factions so that peace would be ushered in. According to Ato, “peace is very essential to boost economy.” He suggested that the next government set up a committee comprising of bureaucrats as we well as entrepreneurs from each district and extensively work out on ways and means to effectively support the local entrepreneurs.
Ato also expressed desire that whichever government comes into power would focus on the supply of sufficient energy which he said was very essential to run industry either small scale or large scale. “No industry would like to come where there is shortage of sufficient power supply,” he added.
Another prominent businessman and advisor of Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI), Basu Damani said he was expecting that all sorts of extortion and unauthorised taxation would come down so that the roads would be open for industries to enter the state. “Whatever goods come inside the state are highly taxed because of which the rates are much higher here than other places,” he pointed out.
“If illegal taxation is checked, road condition improved and power supply becomes sufficient then the road to prosperity for Nagaland would be favourable,” Basu said.
Like others, former DCCI president, Kasheto Yeptho also lamented heavy taxation on the business community and went on to explain how they were hit hard by illegal collection of taxes. He said unauthorised collection of money begins with the tax on vehicle that enters the state. “Those who collect tax say that they are not collecting tax from the businessmen but from the vehicle owners,” he said. However, Kasheto added that any transporter sending vehicle to Nagaland passes on the onus of any taxation on the vehicle to the businessman who is hiring the vehicle. Once the goods enter the state, it is taken to gowdown where there will be gowdown tax. Then the goods are taken to shops where another shop tax would be collected, he said. Tax does not end there. Kasheto said that the products are again taxed per unit in the form of dealership tax. “For one particular item or product, how many times should we have to pay tax?” he queried.
Agreeing that the consumers suffer the brunt of taxation, Kasheto however says it is not so in all cases. “For goods that have MRP printed on it, it is the businessmen who have to shell out extra and operate on the thin margin,” he said. He noted that the market was slowly shifting to Lahorijan in Assam owing to heavy taxation in Nagaland thereby losing the economy to neighbouring state.
Kasheto, therefore, opined that for a competitive market to be brought about in the state especially Dimapur, the responsible authorities should first remove all illegal taxation.
Nukshi Imchen, another businessman, said the collection of illegal tax has forced many businessmen out of the state which has resulted in loss of economy. He felt that due to this reason, many local entrepreneurs were discouraged to set up their own business even if they wanted to. Without meaning that the present government was not doing enough, Nukshi expressed the hope that the next government would effectively check collection of illegal tax and allow the business community to serve the people in a congenial atmosphere.
