Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal today did away with the Excise and Taxation Department’s practice of charging VAT while granting liquor licence to people wishing to hold wedding or other functions.The Deputy Chief Minister, who holds the Excise and Taxation portfolio, announced that liquor licences would be issued online from April onwards. The move is aimed at doing away with inconvenience caused to the public.The decision was taken by the Deputy Chief Minister after receiving suggestions from various quarters to make the process of obtaining licences for serving liquor during wedding and other parties easier and hassle-free.An official spokesman said the public would now have to pay only the licence fee. There are about 1,700 marriage palaces in the state which organise an average of 40,000 to 50,000 wedding parties in a year.Sukhbir asked the marriage palace owners to reconsider the earlier option offered to them by the state to pay a lumpsum tax on palaces. This could not be implemented earlier as the owners were divided on this issue.The Deputy CM directed the Excise Department to facilitate the trade and industry by introducing a lumpsum fee in as many sectors as possible. He said if any trade and industry wanted to suggest any compounding scheme, the government was ready to accept such proposals.
