 "petrol. diesel, digital payment")
Taking the cue from the Centre, the BJP-led Assam government on Monday announced a slew of incentives, including an additional 0.75 per cent discount on purchase of petrol and diesel through electronic mode, to promote cashless transactions in the state. With the Centre too offering a cash-back of 0.75 per cent on e-payments for petrol and diesel bought from public sector oil marketing companies, the total benefit customers in Assam would enjoy now totals to 1.5 per cent.
Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was “walking in the footsteps of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi” and that Assam was probably the first state to come up with an incentive scheme post demonetisation to push the economy towards a cashless one.
He said as per initial estimates, the state exchequer will have bear a revenue loss of Rs 100 crore to meet these incentives, but added that the ‘loss’ would be “temporary” in nature and the gains would be “enormous” in the long run.
“We hope the incentive measures will attract more and more people in the state to opt for electronic payment. The loss will be huge in the initial months but as more and more people come on board the digital platform, tax evasion will come down and the gain in the long run will be enormous,” Sarma said.
From discounts on purchase of petrol and diesel to hospital bills to cash award for tea garden labourers accepting wage transfers to their bank accounts, the Assam government has an exhaustive list of incentives.
The 0.75 per cent discount of purchase of petrol and diesel would come into effect from January 1, 2017. “Yesterday I had a talk with the Union petroleum minister regarding the discount we plan to offer on petrol and diesel. We need the clearances from the oil PSUs and for these formalities we would need ten days’ time so this decision would come into effect from January 1, 2017,” said Sarma.
The state government will also offer a 10 per cent discount on e-payment of hospital bills above Rs 500. However, this offer would be limited to government-run hospitals. Sarma said the financial loss borne by the hospitals would be compensated by the state government.
The Assam government will also offer a discount of 10 per cent on payment of property tax if it is made through electronic mode.
In order to encourage tea garden labourers to accept wages in their bank accounts, the state government will give them Rs 100 cash reward if they opt for this mode.
Cinema hall tickets would also attract a discount of Rs 5 per ticket if bought electronically. Also, Point of Sale (PoS) machines, Automated Teller Machines (ATM), VSAT-Dsih, mobile Wi-Fi etc are, from now on, exempt from paying entry tax.
There will also be awards for districts, rural banks, gram panchayats, colleges and universities, farmers buying seeds, if the payments are made electronically.
Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was “walking in the footsteps of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi” and that Assam was probably the first state to come up with an incentive scheme post demonetisation to push the economy towards a cashless one.
He said as per initial estimates, the state exchequer will have bear a revenue loss of Rs 100 crore to meet these incentives, but added that the ‘loss’ would be “temporary” in nature and the gains would be “enormous” in the long run.
“We hope the incentive measures will attract more and more people in the state to opt for electronic payment. The loss will be huge in the initial months but as more and more people come on board the digital platform, tax evasion will come down and the gain in the long run will be enormous,” Sarma said.
From discounts on purchase of petrol and diesel to hospital bills to cash award for tea garden labourers accepting wage transfers to their bank accounts, the Assam government has an exhaustive list of incentives.
The 0.75 per cent discount of purchase of petrol and diesel would come into effect from January 1, 2017. “Yesterday I had a talk with the Union petroleum minister regarding the discount we plan to offer on petrol and diesel. We need the clearances from the oil PSUs and for these formalities we would need ten days’ time so this decision would come into effect from January 1, 2017,” said Sarma.
The state government will also offer a 10 per cent discount on e-payment of hospital bills above Rs 500. However, this offer would be limited to government-run hospitals. Sarma said the financial loss borne by the hospitals would be compensated by the state government.
The Assam government will also offer a discount of 10 per cent on payment of property tax if it is made through electronic mode.
In order to encourage tea garden labourers to accept wages in their bank accounts, the state government will give them Rs 100 cash reward if they opt for this mode.
Cinema hall tickets would also attract a discount of Rs 5 per ticket if bought electronically. Also, Point of Sale (PoS) machines, Automated Teller Machines (ATM), VSAT-Dsih, mobile Wi-Fi etc are, from now on, exempt from paying entry tax.
There will also be awards for districts, rural banks, gram panchayats, colleges and universities, farmers buying seeds, if the payments are made electronically.
