By Akangjungla
Trapped in the political tussle, the state of Nagaland has been driven by multiple conflicts for decades now. The burden of taxation being the most grievous has been the point of many events marked in the history of the Naga people, the most recent being the public rally against unabated illegal taxation, harassment, intimidation, and death threats faced by common people.
As reported, braving the heavy downpour, hundreds of people converged at Old MLA Hostel junction, Phoolbari, Kohima to participate in the rally organised by the Angami Youth Organization (AYO), to protest the alleged death threat issued to a local contractor by the NSCN (Khango) group, who failed to meet their demands.
The AYO public rally, in many ways reminded the Naga people of the Public Awareness Rally initiated by the Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland on October 31, 2013 at Clock Tower junction, Dimapur. The call to fight all forms of unabated taxation imposed by different Naga political groups and corruption was responded by more than 40 thousand people and thereafter, in unison adopted the resolution of ‘One Government One Tax.’ Eleven years on and the public are still forced to live under the curse of illegal taxations.
Voicing out resentment against unabated illegal taxation, exhortations, threats and intimidation, the AYO submitted an official memorandum to the Governor of Nagaland highlighting the “illegal activities being committed blatantly by armed groups in Nagaland much to the dismay of the general populace.” The incident of death threat issued to a local contractor by the NSCN (Khango) group “is just a tip of the iceberg as there are many such cases which have not been brought into the public domain.”
While citing certain demands, the memorandum also made clear that “the public is utterly fed up with the activities of these armed cadres, it may not be long before unarmed public take on these armed cadres resulting in a civil unrest which will have worse implications and results than that of the prevailing situation in a neighboring State.”
Three years ago the Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) called for for total business shutdown in Dimapur on September 16, 2021 to protest the Nagaland government’s inaction against illegal and multiple taxation. A day after the DCCI called for the shutdown of businesses in the state’s commercial hub, the Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CNCCI) announced that it will impose a state-wide business closure on the same day. Following the decision of the CNCCI, many trade organizations from different parts of the state quickly extended solidarity with the DCCI to highlight the plight of the business community due to multiple and rampant illegal taxation by various groups as well government agencies.
The Nagaland trade bodies are visibly disappointed at the lack of response to the representation submitted to the Government of Nagaland through the Chief Secretary by the CNCCI which demanded an immediate resolution of the multiple taxation issue. It had also called for removal of all forms of tax/fee collected by the civic bodies on items that come under the GST regime which has subsumed all taxes under ‘one nation one tax.’
Along with the solidarity moves, the trade bodies also sent across a caution to the State government to respond positively, failing which they clearly plan to step up its agitation and resort to further and extreme courses of action if the government of the day fails to address the genuine plight of the business community.
With the day of state-wide shutdown approaching, the Nagaland government on September 13, 2021 decided to immediately do away with collection of any kind of tax/fees on items/goods that come under the GST regime. The government also appealed to the Confederation to reconsider its call for a state-wide shutdown, however, it came too late, too little as the trade bodies are adamant to go ahead with their decision.
In Nagaland, the interpretation of taxation is extortion and that is where the issue lies. Complaints and agitations against the evil of multiple-layered taxation is not a new occurrence in Nagaland. With the civil societies and public organisations taking up the fight against illegal taxations and its harmful consequences, the question of holding the state government accountable arises. In response to the weekly poll question run by this newspaper on whether the appeals to Nagaland government to curb the menace of illegal taxation have fallen on deaf ears, the observation is that the government does not have the will or the desire to curb the illegal taxation. Another responded that the government itself is corrupted, undermining its moral authority to act against illegal activities.
The cries and the stories of the people who are the victims of unabated illegal taxation give you an idea about the evil of power and irresponsible leaders. Actions of illegal/forceful collection of tax are all stories of suffering, which reveal the unfair nature of the powers that suppresses the basic human rights and the very existence of the people. No explanation is required for the experience of pain and distress imposed on another human being. The justifications of running a government for the cause of the nation is now nothing less than a menace and it needs to stop.
Comments can be sent to akangjungla@gmail.com
