RETHINK MOVE OR ENSURE PARITY FOR PUNJAB, BADAL URGES CENTRE

CHANDIGARH: Former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday urged the Centre to reconsider the decision to give tax exemption to industry in hill and northeast states or extend the same concessions to Punjab as well.

Badal said the Centre’s decision to grant tax exemption to hill states will “directly and fatally hit” Punjab and its economy.

“No one deserves these concessions more than Punjab that has faced four active and bloody wars and is the only part of the country which is situated on a live and hostile border,” he said in a statement. The SAD leader said he was not against the neighbouring states, but was only seeking justice and fair-play.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for a new scheme to refund the Central share of Central GST and integrated GST to industrial units in the northeast and Himalayan states in lieu of the excise exemption lost due to the introduction of GST and scrapping of excise laws from July 1.