West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has informed that CBDT has issued a Press Release clarifying regarding notices to Durga Puja Committees for puja tax, which is popularly known as ‘Puja Jijia Tax’. Taking to social media, she appealed to the authorities not to impose such tax or TDS or ‘Jijia’ tax on any puja committees or any festival.
“I have come to know just now that CBDT has issued a Press Release clarifying regarding notices to Durga Puja Committees for puja tax, which is popularly known as ‘Puja Jijia Tax’,” Ms Banerjee said. “I would like to share with all of you that in the name of so-called Press Release, they have made certain claims which themselves prove that they are factually incorrect,” she said. “In fact, Income Tax authorities sent notices to Puja Committees last year regarding event management including ‘Dhaki’, ‘Purohit’, small and village artisans engaged in arts and crafts working in pandals for collecting tax from them through puja committees by way of TDS, which is as good as ‘Terrible Disaster Scheme’,” the chief minister said.
Ms Banerjee said this is, undoubtedly a huge burden on them. “CBDT clarification that no notices have been issued for this year makes little sense. It is only obvious that for pujas held this year, notices will only be issued next year, which is as per their scheme of tax assessment. So, the clarification itself proves that the imposition of tax very much stands. Then, why misleading?” she questioned.
The chief minister said the Press Release is a sheer distortion of facts with an aim to create confusion in the minds of local people and puja committees and perpetrate mental tension. This is also an attack on our culture and on our Durga Puja festival. I do not know whether this is being done knowingly or unknowingly, but it is certainly of bad taste, especially when people of all religions, caste, creed participate in our
Durga Puja, which is just like a national festival. Any such taxation should be totally withdrawn and the festival should be allowed to be celebrated with its usual fervour, Ms Banerjee said. “My humble submission and appeal to the authorities would be not to impose such tax or TDS or ‘Jijia’ tax on any puja committees or any festival,” she added. Earlier on Tuesday, the Central Board of Direct Taxes ( CBDT) rebuffed the West Bengal ruling Trinamool Congress allegation of issuance IT notice to some Durga Puja committees, clarifying that the I-T department had issued notices to about 30 committees in December 2018 seeking details of tax deducted at source (TDS) on payments they had made to contractors and event managers, whose incomes are taxable.
“This was part of an exercise carried out by the Tax Deduction at Source (TDS) wing of the Department to ensure that the contractors and event managers pay their due taxes in time,” the CBDT press statement read and underlined that these notices were issued in 2018 and not this year. The CBDT said that no Durga Puja committees have been issued Income Tax notice in 2019 as claimed by a political party in West Bengal. (UNI)
