Mumbai: Farmers’ leader and MP Raju Shetti on Thursday opposed the Maharashtra government’s decision to impose Rs 50 area development tax or three per cent of the total purchase price per tonne of sugarcane from farmers. The decision to collect the tax was taken at a meeting chaired by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here on Wednesday.
“Earlier, the sugarcane purchase tax used to be five per cent on the purchase of per tonne of sugarcane. Post-GST, it was abolished. Therefore, the government has now chosen another route in the form of area development tax on the farmers,” Shetti told PTI on Thursday. The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader said the tax is in violation of the government’s promise that there would not be any additional taxes apart from the GST.
“The area development tax is expected to garner around Rs 400 crore. Earlier, the sugarcane purchase tax was never used for any development purposes and I have no doubt that even the funds to be collected from the area development tax will be utilised somewhere else,” he said. Shetti had recently snapped ties with the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, accusing them of being anti-farmers.
