Darj civic body to put on hold collection of tax from tourists

Amitava Banerjee, MP, 28 Nov 2023, Darjeeling: The Darjeeling Municipality has decided to put on hold the decision to collect Rs 20 tax per tourist visiting the Darjeeling Municipality area. The decision to collect the amount invited a lot of flak from different quarters, including taxi operators along with other political outfits challenging the legality of the decision, quoting sections of the West Bengal Municipality Act. 

“We have not implemented this nor have we signed an agreement with any agency. It is not a tax either. It is just a fee in support of the Darjeeling Municipality. It has been wrongly interpreted. The GTA Chief has also asked us what we intend to do and what this is about. We will have a meeting with him to explain what the fee is about. At present this has been put on hold,” stated Dipen Thakuri, Chairman, Darjeeling Municipality while talking to Millennium Post. 

Nitesh Gurung, Councillor Ward 17, Darjeeling Municipality, while addressing mediapersons stated that all tourists visiting Darjeeling Municipality area will have to pay a ‘tourist tax’ of Rs 20 per head, one time. He stated that this was passed in the BOC meeting and e-tender called as per Sec 94(A) sub section 1 of the Darjeeling Municipality Act 1993. 

He further stated that for this financial year the base value of the tender was kept at Rs 25 lakh and the agency that had won the tender had bid Rs 2825000. It was decided that the amount would be collected from hotels and lodges within the Darjeeling Municipality area. This however sparked a controversy. Hamro Party raised a number of questions challenging the legality. 

“Municipalities in Bengal cannot levy tourist tax. They are authorised to collect a fee. The fee collected from a tourist cannot exceed Rs 3 per person and Rs 50 per vehicle as per Section 94A of West Bengal Municipality Act 1993. The decision to collect Rs 20 per person as fees from tourists visiting Darjeeling Municipality area is therefore illegal. This decision has been taken with the sole intention of making money and not to make the municipality self-reliant,” stated a Hamro Party release. 

The Gorkha Chalak Ekta Sangathan claimed that this would cause a major dent in the tourism sector thereby giving rise to more unemployment, the onus of which would then lie on the municipality. 

This is the fourth time that Darjeeling Municipality has attempted collecting ‘tourist tax.’ The first time it was in 2008, Rs 3 tax per head in 2011 and Rs 10 per head in 2012. All the past attempts however failed or fizzled out after some days. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/darj-civic-body-to-put-on-hold-collection-of-tax-from-tourists-542179