Mamata Banerjee slams govt over tax on Durja Puja

Kolkata: Rallying support behind the Durga puja organisers, CM Mamata Banerjee on Sunday demanded that they should not be “taxed” by the Centre. Her call came after the I-T department served notices to the committees of many popular Durga pujas in the city directing them to pay taxes with two months left for the puja season to get underway.

Ms Banerjee said her government stopped tax collection on Ganga Sagar Mela which attracts lakhs of pilgrims from across the country and beyond every year. The TMC supremo also announced of launching a stir by her party against the IT department this week. “The Income Tax Dept has issued notices to many committees who organise Durga pujos, asking them to pay taxes,” she wrote on Twitter.

Making her stand clear, she said “We are proud of our national festivals. These festivals are for all and we don’t want any pujo festival to be taxed. This will be a burden on the organisers. #Bangla govt withdrew tax, which was earlier there, on Ganga Sagar Mela. We demand ‘no taxation on Durga pujo and its committees.”

She added, “The Trinamul Congress Banga Janani Wing will sit on dharna on Tuesday August 13 at Subodh Mallik Square (Opp Hind Cinema) 10am-6pm. Organisers, participants and all people who love #Bangla may please join.” This was however not the first time the IT focussed its lens on the big budget pujas for tax collection in view of their collection of lumpsum amount of advertisments every year.

Last year nearly 40 of them received IT notices which sought them to submit their books of accounts and pay tax for raising funds through sponsors to organise the pujas. This had left the Trinamul chief fuming against the Centre as many of them however have senior Trinamul ministers, MLAs and MPs as their patrons.

With the BJP’s rise in the state following its victory in 18 Lok Sabha seats, a new battle has broken out between the ruling party and saffron camp for taking control of Durga Puja this year.