TN tax benefits for pulses, groundnuts, incense

Chennai, Aug 7 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu government today announced waiver of sales tax for pulses and groundnuts, jaggery, jaggery powder (nattu chakkarai), incense sticks and footwear.

Replying to the debate on the demand for grants to his department, Commercial Taxes Minister S N M Ubayadullah said a waiver committee had been constituted to look into pending tax revenues and that the Samadhan scheme, to collect sales tax arrears, would be introduced in the current seassion of the Assembly.

Responding to queries by members while participating in the debate, he said the two per cent sales tax on pulses and groundnuts had been waived from July 22 this year.

He announced exemption of sales tax for intra-state sale of jaggery and jaggery powder. For incense sticks (Sambrani), exemption from levy of sales tax had been restored with effect from July 22.

He also announced salex tax exemption for wastepaper and old bottles and for sale of copra within and outside the State.

The sales tax exemption covered shoes costing below Rs 200.

He said commercial tax revenue had registered a 21.4 per cent growth during April to June this year, standing at Rs 4705 crore as againt total revenue of Rs 16,616 crore during the year 2005-06.

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