Dimapur, March 21 (MExN): The President of the Nagaland Voluntary Consumer Association (NVCO), Kezhokhoto Savi, during a presentation at one seminar at the IMC hall here today said that no organisation has the right to collect taxes from the vehicles plying on the National Highways which is the common practice.
While giving his lecture on the topic ‘collection of illegal tax and violation of consumer rights’ at a seminar on peace is possible, Savi, an Advocate and a strong fighter for consumer rights said that there are lot of illegal tax collectors lurking at the counters on the Highways, collecting taxes from the vehicles plying on the road. Savi said that except other organisations is authorized to collect taxes.
However, on being asked, whether the state departments like the police, excise, forest and veterinary departments are authourised to collect taxes, Savi moved in to another topic and said that even those state departments are not collecting the taxes in a proper manner.
He alleged that most of the personnel manning the check gates collect the taxes without giving out receipts or issuing receipts without signatures.
He said that the people manning the check gates are hands in gloves with each other. The personnel at the check gate in Chumukedima asks for fifty rupees from the truckers without receipt, and so the truckers have to pay another fifty rupees at the Kohima by-pass check gate, Savi disclosed. The NVCO president said that such illegal collection fuels price rise in the society and added that as an alert citizen the people should insist on receiving the receipt of the taxes paid.
On being asked how checking of consumer rights exploitation can help in bring about peace in the society, which was the topic of the seminar, Savi said that when all the illegal collection of taxes and other consumer exploitation then peace and harmony will prevail in the society.
“These illegal collections are creating havoc in the society” said Savi and at the same time contended that the consumers have to come out against such exploitation.
He suggested that the first step to fight for consumer rights is creating a mass awareness and making it into a mass movement.
Savi also disclosed that the NVCO has submitted a representation to the state government in this regard on February 17 2006, however, the NVCO president lamented that the government has not replied to the organisation till date even after a lapse of more than one year.
