Mehbooba Mufti seeks Home Minister’s intervention

Srinagar, Aug 09: Former Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti has sought the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah into the matter related to tax notices to cross LoC traders.

Addressing a press conference, Mehbooba said that she has written a letter to the Home Minister in this connection. “ I appeal the Home Minister to intervene so that the tax demands are withdrawn immediately,” she said.

The former Chief Minister added that cross LoC traders are now facing “demands” for tax payments on transactions that were non-monetary and tax-exempt at the time. “The Cross-LoC trade, conducted on a barter system, was a unique and effective means of connecting people across the LoC without involving any cash transactions.

However, it is deeply regrettable that both the bus service and the trade have been suspended since 2019, causing significant hardship to those who depended on them for their livelihood,” she said. Mehbooba stated that adding to their woes, traders who participated in this barter trade are now being served notices demanding tax payments for transactions that were non-monetary and did not involve any taxation at the time.

“These demands are not only unjust but are also impossible for these traders to meet, given that thousands have already lost their livelihoods due to the suspension of trade,” she said.