Parking policy ?

Dear Mr, Vohra ji,

As you are fully aware that the MCD since its trifurcation has become financially unsound and is unable to meet its duties and functions. Poor people like sweepers etc. are not being paid their legitimate salaries etc, but expect them to do their duties diligently. How can you expect the poor people who entirely depend on their wages based on the toil to meet their basic requirements like food, shelter etc. Why the MLAs and Councillors contribute their mite. sacrifice a little of their comforts or forego their luxuries for the time being to mop the resources of the MCD to enable them to pay their salaries! NO, we cannot expect as they are made people's representatives to make speeches and false promises but not to deliver the promises made and meet the requirements of poor people!

There are many ways to mop the resources of the MCD. One of them being the property tax. If the tax is collected on time i.e. by the end of April each year, hold camps for the purpose in all recognized colonies where the RWAs are only too willing to help and interest earned thereon could increase the balance in their coffers. It is learnt that not more than 60% owners are paying the property tax, what is the difficulty in arranging to collect from the rest by making all out efforts to do so! Secondly, I consider that this being the main source of income, apart from others, why not uniformally and periodically increase the rate of tax on a reasonable basis without giving any rebate to the tax payers. With the increase in the cost all round, this little sacrifice has to be done by all of us! This is my personal opinion. There is no harm in charging parking fee of a reasonable amount from the owners of vehicles, which are normally parked in the vacant spaces in front of their residential units by removing all encroachments, including kitchen gardens etc. uniformally without exception, restricting the number of vehicles that could accommodate within their premises, as otherwise they have to pay hefty amount, if they park their cars etc. at other places on a regular basis. This should be considered as an encroachment. A time has come that while approving colonies for residential accommodation, they do have enough parking space which should be depicted in the approved plan, failing which no permssion will be given, like in many other countries e.g. Japan, Singapore etc. We are having an acute shortage of space for the purpose of parking of vehicles. A time has come that we may have to sacrifice even parks, nursery plots etc. earmarked for the purpose to facilitate parking of cars, which are taking place unauthorizedly in many colonies. We have find ways and means which are feasible on an immediate basis to solve the problem, which is mounting up, creating law and order problem in colonies on a daily basis!

Of course morfe innovative suggestions could be made but they should be practical, feasible of adoption on an urgent basis and could be considered for adoption, even if necessary on a nominal payment!

With regards,

TK Balu/Anand Vihar

Deterrence policy for Delhiites

Deterrence policy for Delhiites : Pay hefty sums for #parking your own #car, in front of your own #home, and with more money in the coffers, they will plan yet another #deterrence for you. 

It can be called deterrence, if it’s applicable to the buyers of new cars only.  How can they call it deterrence, if the existing car holders are made to pay hefty amounts, on the name of #parking ?

Under this policy, those who can afford, will be free to own multiple number of vehicles, with no care for the pollution and congestion, while those who can't afford, will have to suffer.

Don’t you think, that they are just trying to add to their coffers with nothing in mind for the general public.

Don't you think that Govt can do much more, and in a much better way, for the benefit of masses ?

Awaiting your comments. Thanks.

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GST: Traders body asks FM to lower rates for Horlicks, Complan, butter, sanitary napkins

Ahead of a crucial meeting of Centre and state ministers on goods and services tax (GST), traders’ body CAIT has urged finance minister Arun Jaitley to review the levy on food items including Bournvita, Horlicks, Complan, butter, ghee and sanitary napkins.

The GST Council, headed by Jaitley, will meet on Saturday to finalise the GST rates for some of the pending items before the country’s biggest tax reform is implemented from July 2017.

“Malt-based products like Bournvita, Horlicks, Complan, Boost and AmulPro and other similar products, which are consumed by children, have been placed at 28%. The GST Council should consider a lower rate for these items,” Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) secretary general Praveen Khandelwal told HT on phone.

In a letter to Jaitley, CAIT said the proposed tax rate on tractors and auto spares should be lowered for the interest of farmers.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK : for detailed news.

Spare parts traders protest 28% GST

NEW DELHI: Traders of Asia's largest spare parts market Kasmiri Gate on Monday protested against the 28% GST on car spare parts, tractor parts and car accessories. They said the hike was exorbitant and likely to affect the growth of their business.

Traders from Mori Gate who are engaged in tractor parts' business also participated in the protest and marched through the market. "Only 12% VAT is charged on auto parts and car accessories, which has been increased to 28%," said Vishnu Bhargava, general secretary of Automotive Parts Merchants' Associations.

with thanks : Times of India : LINK : for detailed news.

GST rates for gold, garments, footwear out. Here’s how much you have to pay

The Centre finalised on Saturday goods and services tax (GST) rates for items such as gold, packaged food, biscuits, footwear and solar panels – besides some pending rules – paving the way for the country’s biggest tax reform from July 1.

The GST Council has tried to keep the tax rates low for most items because the Narendra Modi government wants to discourage inflation and nurture economic growth, which slipped to 7.1% in 2016-17 from 8% a year ago.

THE NEW FIGURES UNDER GST

• The new regime will have four slabs of 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%
• Packaged food has been fixed at 5%, while biscuits will be taxed at 18%
• Gold will be taxed at 3% as against the current tax incidence of 2-6%
• Apparel costing below Rs 1,000 will be taxed at 5%
• Footwear below Rs 500 will be taxed at 5% while the rest would come in the 18% bracket.
• Beedi and beedi leaf will not attract a cess over and above the tax of 28%
• Most food items – including wheat, rice and milk excepted from the tax bracket
• Sugar, tea, coffee and edible oil, would attract 5% tax
• GST Council decided the tax rates for 1,200 goods and 500 services

The council will meet again on June 11 to complete all the processes required for a smooth rollout. The new regime will have four slabs of 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%, with the intention of unifying the nation into a single market.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said the GST rates for packaged food has been fixed at 5%, while biscuits will be taxed at 18%. Gold will be taxed at 3% as against the current tax incidence of 2-6%, varying from state to state, while it will be 0.25% for rough diamonds.

“Gold currently has an excise rate of 1% and states charge 1% VAT... keeping these taxes in mind, and after a lot of debate in the GST Council, we have reached a consensus on 3% for gold and gold jewellery,” Jaitley told reporters after a meeting of the GST Council.

Silk and jute will be exempt, but cotton and natural fibre will be taxed at 5%, man-made fibres at 18%, and apparel costing below Rs 1,000 will be taxed at 5%. Footwear below Rs 500 will be taxed at 5% while the rest would come in the 18% bracket.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK : for detailed news.

GST makes India inhospitable, says tourism sector

Owners of hotels, restaurateurs and tourism-related facilities disappointed with high rates, say GST is unviable

The rates announced by the Goods and Services Tax Council on Friday has comes as a shocker to the hospitality industry. Four tax slabs of 5%, 12%, 18% and 28% have been fixed for services including telecom, insurance, hotels and restaurants.

Expressing disappointment, the hospitality sector said the rates are too complex, high and uncompetitive, and said they will be approaching Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely and Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma for a review of the rates. The GST Council announced that non-AC restaurants will charge 12% GST on food, AC restaurants and those with liquor licence 18% per cent, and five star hotels will charge a GST of 28%.

Dilip Datwani, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association, Western India (HRAWI) told The Hindu, “The government should realise that taxes in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia range between 5% and 10%. We cannot afford to have this complex and high-rate GST. This is simply not viable. Tourists will simply skip India.”

with thanks : The Hindu : LINK : for detailed news 

GST to make small cars and hybrids more expensive in India

With the announcement of the much anticipated Goods and Services Tax (GST), there has been mixed reactions from the automobile fraternity. And the reason for that is the varying tax structure imposed on different segment of vehicles sold in India.

The GST structure will be replacing the central excise duty and service taxes that are collected by the Central government. The segment that benefits from the newly announced GST structure are the large vehicles with a displacement greater than 1,500cc as well as SUVs with a length of more than 4 metres. This category of vehicles will attract 15 per cent cess over the peak rate of 28 per cent making it a total of 43 per cent. Presently, the central excise of 27 per cent is applied along with a value added tax (VAT) of 12.5 to 14.4 per cent. In addition to these taxes, there is also state taxes, octroi and infrastructure cess that is levied. The total tally of these taxes goes to up to 45 per cent.

The new GST structure has also brought hybrid cars under the same slab as that of large vehicles meaning a tax of 43 per cent will be levied on them. However, electric cars will attract a tax of 12 per cent. This has been seen as an unfair decision in favor of hybrids stated some in the industry. Hybrid cars employ cleaner and more efficient technology when compared to the conventional petrol and diesel powered vehicles.

With thanks : OverDrive : LINK : for detailed news.