PWD to collect tax from commercial hoardings along SHs

The West Bengal Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to come up with a new set of rules for collecting tax from commercial hoardings put up along state highways.
"This is a new idea where we have realised that a huge revenue can be earned by the state. A survey has been conducted and we have decided to charge tax for hoardings along the state highways," a senior official of the PWD department told PTI.
"This is only the first phase where we have planned to charge tax for hoardings on the state highways. Later on we'll think of more ways to increase our revenue," he added.

With around 18 state highways, the PWD has around 14,000 km of state highways under its control.
The PWD is also responsible for the maintenance of the 3,000 km of National Highways passing through the state.
"At the moment the advertising agencies putting up the hoardings have to pay a very nominal fee for the hoardings. They have been paying the fee to the local civic body or panchayat where the state highways were passing through," he said.

Once the new rules are put in place, the PWD would be able to collect an annual tax in lieu of the hoardings, the official said.

A meeting involving senior officials of the PWD was recently held at the state secretariat to decide to start imposing tax on commercial hoardings.
"We are working on a detailed report on the hoardings by the side of the highways in West Bengal. Once prepared the detailed report will be send to the state government to have a look at it," the official said.
It was understood that the report was expected to enable the administration to identify the illegal hoardings and take necessary actions against them.
"Once the report is submitted, tenders will be invited from agencies for putting up hoardings," he said adding that the new rules will be finalised before mid-October and after that the process of tax collection will be initiated.