Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Oct. 6: The Business Association of Nagas (Ban) has expressed displeasure over the constant taxation faced by Naga entrepreneurs from various Naga national political groups (NNPG) in Dimapur.
One of the members of Ban spoke to Eastern Mirror and informed that on Oct. 2, an NNPG had demand tax ‘beyond the yearly amount’ from a ‘well-known, iconic and genuine Naga businessman’ in Dimapur.
“The NNPG asked an amount that was beyond reason and we (Ban) along with other civil organisations are against it,” said the member from Ban. He said that the trader was even ordered to pull down the shutters of his shop. However, on Oct. 3 the association asked them to reopen the business, it was informed.
The BAN member also accused the government of India of ‘playing a diabolical game’ while asserting that there can never be ‘five/six solutions.’
“Unless they come together, there is no answer to this,” the Ban member maintained and reaffirmed the public resolution of ‘one government, one tax.’
“Multiple taxation is a constant harassment to the business community and also causes price rise in the market,” a statement from the Ban read.
Not long ago, the six NNPG working groups consisting of the GPRN/NSCN, NNC/FGN, NNC (Parent Body), NPGN/NNC (NA), NSCN (R) and NNC/GDRN (NA), had resolved that “while free donations from the people will be solicited, Naga entrepreneurs shall be exempted from taxations.”
The Ban statement appreciated the resolve of those NNPG. “It is appreciable that some NNPG have resolved to exempt Naga entrepreneurs from taxation and have understood that imposing tax on our own brothers and sisters is counterproductive and will have negative impact on the upcoming Naga entrepreneurs. BAN would like to appeal to these groups to uphold their resolution. On the other hand, BAN would like to appeal to the NNPG who have not exempted Naga entrepreneurs to come into the fold and earn the goodwill of the Naga people.”
Ban, an organisation exclusively for ‘Nagas by blood’, has been advocating the scope of entrepreneurship to make Nagaland state a self-reliant and a developed state and not only a salaried economy, it stated.
“Most Naga entrepreneurs run small enterprises and struggle to make little profit. It is not fair on the part of our NNPG to take away this little profit from them,” the statement from the association read.
Further, it requested the NNPG to be considerate to Naga entrepreneurs and businessmen and exempt them from any form of taxation. “BAN would also like to request the government of India expedite the peace process and find a solution to the vexed Naga problem,” it stated.
