Monday, April 29, 2013

PC rules out wealth tax on agricultural land



By Haryananewswire
CHANDIGARH, APRIL 29
The Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, has given the assurance that no wealth tax would be imposed on the agricultural land in the country. This was stated by the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, after emerging from a meeting with Mr Chidambaram in New Delhi, today.
            “The Finance Minister has assured that he will make a statement on the floor of the House while replying to the Finance Bill and no wealth tax will be imposed on agricultural land, whether within the municipal limit or outside the municipal limit”, Mr Hooda who led a delegation to FM, said.
       Concerned over the move to impose wealth tax on farm land, Mr Hooda had taken the initiative of leading a high-level Congress delegation of Union Ministers, MPs and MLAs from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Orissa and Delhi, to the Finance Minister.
The delegation included Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Manish Tewari, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Mrs Preneet Kaur, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) President Mr Pratap Singh Bajwa, MPs namely Mr Bhakta Charan Das, Mr Sandeep Dikshit, Mr Deepender Singh Hooda, Dr Ram Parkash,  Mr Vijender Singla, Ms Jyoti Mirdha, Ms Santosh Chaudhary, Mr Ravneet Bittu, Mr Shadi Lal Batra, AICC Secretary and MP Mr Harish Chaudhary, Punjab Leader of Opposition, Mr Sunil Jakhar, and MLA Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang.
The delegation submitted a representation urging the Union Finance Minister on behalf of the Indian National Congress to ‘intervene for withdrawal of the proposed amendment,  and issue a clarification to
the effect that urban land does not include agricultural land, and no wealth tax is liable to be paid’.
The delegates also requested Mr Chidambaram to issue administrative directions to the Income Tax Department not to issue fresh notices seeking payment of wealth tax qua agricultural land.
 Mr Hooda said Mr Chidambaram reiterated that the UPA Government was committed to the policy of protecting the interests of the farmers and therefore, nothing would be done against their interests, and, if necessary, due procedure  would be adopted so that no wealth tax is imposed on agricultural land.
Mr Hooda thanked the UPA Chairperson, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Mr P. Chidambaram on behalf of the farmers of the country for not imposing any wealth tax on the
agricultural land.
PPCC President Pratap Singh Bajwa also thanked Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Dr Manmohan Singh and Mr Chidambaram on behalf of the farmers of Punjab. He also thanked the Haryana Chief Minister for taking up the farmers’ cause.
Later, replying to a question, Congress MP Mr Deepender Singh Hooda said that the Union Finance Minister would speak in the House to quell any misunderstanding on the issue.


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