Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, FEBRUARY 23
The Kohima Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) on Tuesday while asserting that the business community of the state capital and other areas of Nagaland have been bearing the brunt of taxation for far too long, made an earnest appeal to all groups to understand the plight of the business community and abstain from collection of any form of taxes from them. A KCCI release issued by its president Jabou Sekhose and joint secretary Akhrie Mor pointed out that taxation is a means by which government finances their expenditures (development, creating jobs, promotion of trade & commerce etc.) by imposing charges on citizens and corporate entities.
However in Nagaland, the abnormal trend of unabated taxation by multiple/mushrooming factions of Naga Political Groups (NPGs) has gone beyond a level of tolerance and has adversely affected the trade and commerce in the region, the release said.
The KCCI observes that the business community has been bearing the brunt of taxation for far too long, feeding the various groups at the expense of their (traders) own well being.
It stated that the sufferings of the trading community were never taken into consideration and instead, taxation, intimidation, extortion, corruption etc were raised to “new heights of repulsive levels” that business houses involved in trade and commerce are literally dying paying taxes and sustaining the multiple NPGs.
The KCCI also lamented that the trading community has been “running from pillar to post” with their grievances without relieve and now the situation has reached an unimaginable low where many enterprising youths, families, individuals have gone bankrupt due to excessive taxation under various guises.
It reminded that more than half a century has gone by since Nagaland got statehood, but the trading community has failed to prosper or secure a better future for their families or bring about economic growth for the state. “Therefore, finding ourselves in a predicament which in all totality is against the ethics of trade and commerce and our dream of beloved Nagaland, we the Kohima Chamber of Commerce & Industry earnestly appeal to all groups to understand our plight and to abstain from collection of any form of taxes from the business community. Any forceful collection under threat and intimidation shall be considered as extortion,” the release stated.
