The state government is providing online facilities for filing returns, declarations, tax payment, VAT, CST, CGCR, LT, PGT and MTP forms to all those registered wholesalers and retailers who had recorded sale worth Rs 1 crore or above during the year 2013.
An official spokesperson said here today the Department has provided the facility of common login ID to the dealers so that they do not face any problem in filing or uploading various returns through different login IDs under various Acts. In addition to this, the state government has waived the registration fee charged under the Himachal Pradesh Value Added Act.
To provide another major relief to the small and marginal traders, the state government has passed the amended VAT Act in the recent Vidhan Sabha session which provides exemption in VAT payments to all those traders, including dhabas, tea stalls, sweet shops and chaat sellers having annual business of below Rs 8 lakh. Prior to it, this relaxation was applicable to the traders having annual business of below Rs 5 lakh. This decision has benfitted lakhs of traders in the state.
Another benefit extended to traders is complete online declaration of goods as a result of which the trucks do not need to stop at barriers. This decision has eased the process of goods transportation at barriers besides getting rid of unnecessary traffic hazard at the barriers.
The department has also started group accident insurance plan to provide insurance cover to small traders. Under the scheme, as many as 47,000 small traders of the state having annual business less than Rs 25 lakh would be provided free insurance cover for which the premium will be borne by the state government.
The small dealers who have recorded inter state sale- purchase business up to Rs 25 lakh during the current financial year have been brought under the ambit of one-time tax payment under VAT Act as this facility was earlier limited to the traders doing such business within the state. Similarly, these traders are being brought under one-time group accident insurance cover during this financial year.
In order to boost tourism activities in the state, the tax on fuel being purchased by the scheduled airlines has been reduced from 5% to 1%. The luxury tax on hotels and home-stays in the backward panchayats, which came into existence after April 1, 2013, has been exempted for 10 years.
Source: Tribune
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