HT Bureau
DIPHU, Aug 4: “Traders have acknowledged and agreed to pay goods tax at new checkpoints for goods entering markets in Karbi Anglong. However, some issues still require attention from the Taxation Department of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC),” said tax collector Bitu Mech at the Garampani checkpoint on Saturday.
The Garampani checkpoint, recently established by the Taxation Department on NH-39 to enforce tax collection for goods entering Karbi Anglong markets, has been in operation for just fifteen days. Despite its recent implementation, traders have begun to comply with the new tax regulations and are paying the required taxes for their goods.
He stated, “Since taxes are not levied on goods merely passing through Karbi Anglong to other states, some traders from Bokajan, Khatkhati, and Lahorijan are exploiting this by declaring their consignments as destined for places like Dimapur, Kohima, or Imphal. In reality, these goods are being unloaded at Bokajan, Khatkhati, or Lahorijan.”
The tax collector also noted that the establishment of goods checkpoints has made it easier to distinguish between traders with valid trading licences and those without. He explained, “At the checkpoint, we verify trading licences before issuing Transit Passes (TP) and challans. We have discovered that several traders from Bokajan, Khatkhati, and Lahorijan are operating without a proper trading licence.”
A similar situation is observed at the Khollo Khua checkpoint bordering Golaghat district. One of the tax collectors reported that some traders avoid paying taxes at checkpoints by claiming that items such as poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, sand, bricks, and cement are intended for Golaghat. However, upon reaching the inter-district border, these goods are unloaded inside Karbi Anglong.
