NEW DELHI: Shillong MP Vincent H. Pala on Monday cautioned the Centre that shifting of the nearly 70-year-old headquarters of Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax from Shillong to Guwahati will adversely affect the post-GST economy and might dilute the new tax regime and even become counterproductive in the North East.
In a letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Pala said rolling out of GST from July 1 needs undivided attention to the tax administration, including efficient digitalisation and collection, and this sudden shift of office will affect the staff, he said.
“The shifting of the Chief Commissioner’s Office from Shillong to Guwahati at this juncture will cast additional and avoidable burden on the tax infrastructure in the NE region. This will also dilute the GST regime freshly coming into force besides putting a number of staff in difficulty,” Pala said in his letter.
The Meghalaya Staff Welfare Committee of Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax has already opposed the shifting of the headquarters. In the letter addressed to the BJP leadership, the president of the Committee, Vijay Thapa, said due to the reorganisation of the field formations in the coming GST regime, there is a move to shift Chief Commissioner’s Office from Shillong to Guwahati.
Pala also pointed out that the State has already allocated 15 acres of land for the commissioner’s office in 2015. “Headquarters of other economic departments like Commissioner of Central Excise continue to operate from Shillong, which was the capital of undivided Assam,” he added.
Our reporter adds
Meanwhile, the Meghalaya Staff Welfare Committee Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax on Monday staged a protest opposing the decision of the Centre to shift the Chief Commissioner’s Office to Guwahati from Shillong.
The employees reiterated that cadre controlling authority of Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax for the entire North East zone has been stationed in Shillong since 1952 and it is not justified to shift the same to Guwahati along with the Chief Commissioner’s Office after 65 years.
The employees lamented that shifting of the Chief Commissioners Office and the Cadre Controlling Authority from Shillong to Guwahati will dislocate the officers and staff of Shillong.
The Chief Commissioner’s Office and the Cadre Controlling Authority has altogether 195 officers and staff of all ranks besides 65 casual workers.
The employees also held a lunch hour demonstration to protest Centre’s decision.
