The Maharashtra government is actively considering reducing luxury tax on hotels, state Tourism Minister Chhagan Bhujbal announced here on Saturday.
Bhujbal announced a slew of measures including one window clearances for restaurants, increasing the restaurant licences validity from one year to five years, concessions in taxes for tourist bus operators, ten year tax holiday for tourism projects in Sindhudurg district amongst others to boost tourism in the state. He was speaking at the Indian Association of Travel Operators convention in Mumbai.
Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh who too was present on the occasion said the government had chalked out Rs 70,000 crore plan to develop airports in Tier-II and-III cities and improve air connectivity in the country.
Singh said the projects will be funded through public-private partnership. He also urged the Maharashtra government to reduce the sales tax on aviation turbine fuel to help the ailing aviation sector.
“In Delhi, the sales tax is 20 per cent while in Mumbai it is 25 per cent and that is reason airlines’ fuel intake from Mumbai is half than Delhi,” he said.