Beer cheaper,chicken,egg dearer,foreign tourist to pay cess:budget

Panaji, Mar 22 (UNI) Beer becomes cheaper, chicken and eggs imported from neighbouring states costlier even as foreign tourists have to shell out Rs 100 per head under the 2006-07 budget proposals.

These measures, according to Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane, were aimed at encouraging the Goans to take to poultry farming in a big way.

At present, about one lakh chickens and several lakh of eggs are being imported from neighbouring Karnataka, Maharashtra and even Andhra Pradesh every month.

In his budget proposals presented to the State Legislative Assembly today, Mr Rane announced a waiver of Rs 0.50 import pass fee on rectified spirit meant for re-distifllation into extra neutral alcohol.

At the same time, he increased the excise duty on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from Rs 30 per bulk litre to Rs 32 to set off revenue loss on account of removal of import pass fee to generate additional revenue.

For the first time, he also announced import pass fare of Rs 10 per bulk litre on beer and IMFL to protest the local industries which were providing employment to locals.

However, the excise duty on beer was reduced by Rs 2 from Rs 9 per bulk litre to increase the total volume of the industry under the tax net while allowing sale of beer and wine across the counter on payment of Rs 15,000 annual licence fee per vendor.

The traders had to shell out Rs 8 per poultry and Ten paise per egg being imported from outside the state while a foreign tourist, visiting Goa through charter flights or hotel bookings, had to pay Rs 100 by way of cess.

The Chief Minister has also proposed to increasse infrastructure tax on multi-dwelling buildings from the existing Rs 30 per square metre to Rs 40 even as efforts were underway to widen the tax base by extending it to medium and large industries.

To encourage housing industry and individual purchasers to go in for registration of sale deed, Mr Rane has proposed to reduce stamp duty on property transaction from the existing 4 per cent to 2.5 per cent at par with cooperative housing societies.

He had also announced three slabs for registration of 'agreement for sale' of individual property. The buyers have to use Rs 100 value stamp paper for transaction upto Rs 1 lakh, Rs 500 paper per lakh upto Rs 5 lakh and Rs 1,000 paper per lakh for transaction above Rs.5 lakhs.

The Chief Minister has also reduced the tax on cable service connection to the customer to Rs 10 per connection and the cable operators had to make monthly playment.

The composition rate payable by river/boat cruises was hiked to 50 per cent as against the present 30 per cent and the captain of ports had to inform the commercial tax authorities about the small vessels and boats providing entertainment services to tourists on a regular basis for registration.

He has indicated widening of the entertainment and luxury tax by studying the situation and levying the tax besides strengthening the commercial tax department to cover even parasailing, water sports and games, motor sports and DTH services at the earliest.

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