WB Taxation Tribunal Bill passed, Mamata's govt to appoint Chairman in place of Governor

Kolkata, Jun 20: The Bengal Assembly has passed the West Bengal Taxation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill, 2022 on Monday. It allows the state government, instead of the Governor, to appoint the chairman and members of the West Bengal Taxation Tribunal in consultation with the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.

The amendment to the bill will primarily harmonise and expedite the procedure for appointment of the chairman and other members as the tribunal remains non-functional for a considerable period due to long pendency of vacancy, PTI reported.

According to state Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, the West Bengal Taxation Tribunal Act, 1987 was amended also to expand the scope of selection of Technical Members since the existing criteria for eligibility for the appointment of Technical Member is restrictive and enough applications are not available for selections.

At the start of the debate on the Bill, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said that many issues of the bill are currently under consideration. hence, it should not be discussed. However, his claims were dismissed by Bhattacharya and Speaker Biman Banerjee.

As result, the BJP staged a walkout. PTI