The government appears to be so desperate about money that it has now decided to levy taxes on service professionals also, it said.
Referring to the professional tax proposal mooted by the state government, Punjab Congress general secretary Arvind Khanna said the tax was clearly aimed at targeting the urban people, whether on job or self employed.
He said most of the professionals in the state already come under the service tax levied by the central excise department.
The new tax will mean double taxation on poor professionals, Khanna said, demanding rollback of the proposal.
According to the proposal, tax will be applicable to all self-employed and salaried professionals earning up to Rs one lakh per annum and above with a cap of Rs 2,500 on annual income exceeding Rs 3 lakh.