'If Congress Is Not Paying Taxes, It Means..', Assam CM Himanta on IT Notices Row

Strongly criticising Congress, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that if somebody is refusing to pay taxes to the government, it means they are denying benefits to the poor just because tax money is used to fund public welfare programmes. Himanta's remarks came after Congress has been crying foul over the fresh notices issued by the Income Tax department to the grand old party.

Guwahati (Assam) : Over the fresh I-T notices, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been making unsparing attacks on the Congress, which is describing the notices being issued by the Income Tax Department as sheer political vendetta.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a bitter critic of the Congress, has wasted no time to corner his former party on the issue. After the grand old party alleged that the party has received fresh notices from the income-tax department, the Assam Chief Minister on Friday said that if the Congress is not paying the taxes, it means they are against welfare activities that are being implemented for the poor and the downtrodden.

Interacting with the reporters here on Friday, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that "somebody refusing to pay tax to the government amounts to denying benefits to the poor. Tax money goes to the public welfare. If Congress is not paying the taxes, it means they are against welfare activities of the poor and the downtrodden".

Himanta said that notice to the Congress is not 'tax terrorism' but it is a matter of 'tax compliance', pointing out that the tax money goes to schools, colleges, hospitals and other civic infrastructure that benefits the public at large.

The Chief Minister’s remarks came on the sidelines of the BJP election review meeting held at the party headquarters in Guwahati on Friday where Himanta also made some other remarks especially regarding the BJP’s chances of winning the upcoming Lok Sabha election and also the implementation of Uniform Civil Code after the election.

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