HP Assembly passes three bills without discussion

Shimla, Sep 22 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh Assembly has unanimously passed three bills without any discussion on Friday.

The three bills are HP Municipal Services (Amendment) bill , HP Taxation (Amendment) bill and HP GST (amendment ) bill 2023 after they were tabled in the house yesterday.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who hold the portfolio of finance presented the Himachal Pradesh Taxation Amendment (on Certain Goods Carried by Road) bill 2023 in the house before the lunch break.

The bill proposed amendment in the 1999 parent act was enacted to provide for levy of a tax on certain goods carried by road in the State to validate certain taxes imposed on goods carried by road and for certain other matters connected therewith.

The act would render loss tune to Rs 2.35 crore to state exchequer since tax on certain goods is being levied at different rate for a distance (upto 250 kilometers or beyond ). The amendment was brought to simplify the taxation procedure for the stakeholders. The distance clause is being omitted in the bill so that the tax may be levied on uniform rates without taking into account the distance covered.

Himachal Pradesh Government also tabled in the house to amend the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Services Act, 1994 to bring the posts of Municipal Corporation Shimla, Dharamshala, Solan and Palampur in the state level services.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu who hold the portfolio of Urban development presented the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Services amendment Bill 2023 to replace the ordinance HP MS (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 promulgated by the Governor on August, 17 , 2023

The bill aims that posts and recruitment of Municipal Corporations in the State which are not included in the State level services to be brought under thestate level services on the line of Municipal Councils and the Nagar Panchayats.

All the services of Municipal Corporations would be treated as State Cadre. The amendment would have provided the staff and recruitments process of employees in the four new Municipal Corporations including Shimla, Dharamshala, Solan, Mandi and Palampur .

The Chief Minsiterpresented the HP GST amendment bill 2023 to amend the taxation on the goods carried by the roads to omit the provision to levy tax on account of distance covered.

The amendment was required in the HPGST Act 2017 to levy the taxation on the betting, casinos, gambling, horse racing, lottery and online gaming. The state adopted this legislation in conformity with the Central Government which has already carried out amendments in the Central Goods and Services Tax Act. 2017.

The amendment would bring uniformity in the tax threshold across the Country, it is mandatory for all the State Governments to carry out corresponding amendments in the State Act.

All the 3 bills were passed by ‘voice vote’ without any discussion in the house.

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