GUWAHATI, Dec 22 (PTI): The Assam government on Thursday introduced three amendment bills in order to promote ‘ease of doing business’ and reduce ‘compliance burden’ on individuals, businesses and authorities.
Five repealing bills were also introduced in the House, seeking to do away with obsolete legislation.
Finance minister Ajanta Neog, introducing ‘The Assam Money Lenders (Amendment) Bill, 2022’, said the amendments have been proposed to ‘reduce regulatory compliance burden on citizens and businesses’.
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“…the Finance Department has proposed to increase the rate of interest and fine on the basis of the rupee value during the 2022 as per inflation rate instead of imprisonment,” she said in the ‘statement of objects and reasons’ of the bill.
The original act carried provision for conviction and fine was imposed on the basis of the rupee value during the year 1968.
The amendments are in line with measures to improve ‘Ease of Living’ and ‘Ease of Doing Business’, Neog added.
‘The Assam State Transport Corporation (Prevention of Unauthorised Travel) (Amendment) Bill, 2022’, introduced in the House by transport minister Parimal Suklabaidya, seeks to decriminalise penalty for ticketless travel, dereliction of duty and obstructing employee of the corporation in his duty.
The monetary penalty imposed in each case has sought to be increased as per the amended bill, the minister said.
Environment and forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, introducing ‘The Assam Forest (Removal & Storage of Forest Produce) Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2022’, said the amendments have been proposed ‘to regulate and control removal of forest produces outside the state of Assam and the setting up of establishment of trading depot for forest produce’.
It is also in line with the reducing compliance burden initiative of the government of India, he added in the ‘statement of objects and reasons’ of the bill.
Neog also introduced five bills to repealing existing acts which are “not relevant today and a part of reducing compliance burden initiative of the government of India”.
‘The Assam Taxation (Procedure for Rounding Off) (Repealing) Bill, 2022’, ‘The Assam taxation Law Validation (Repealing) Bill, 2022’, ‘The Assam Taxation (Transfer of Reference Application) (Repealing) Bill, 2022’and ‘The Assam Rural development Cess (Repealing) Bill, 2022’ were introduced by the minister.
The Finance minister also introduced ‘The Assam Protection of Interest of Depositors (In Financial Establishments) (Repealing) Bill, 2022’, which seeks to do away with the original Act of 2000.
In the ‘statement of objects and reasons’, she said, “The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Scheme Act and Rules’ has provided for a comprehensive mechanism to ban unregulated deposit schemes with wider ambit and hence, the repealing bill has been brought to ‘reduce regulatory compliance burden on citizens and businesses’.”
