Leaders of 16 Opposition parties, led by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, called on President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday to request him to withhold his assent to The Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill 2016, as the government introduced the legislation without giving previous notice to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, and the Rajya Sabha will have role in its passage as it has been framed as a Money Bill.
The parties that went included the Congress, the CPI (M), the CPI, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Janata Dal (United), the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham.
‘Attempt to crush voice’
Emerging from the meeting with the President, Mr. Gandhi said “This is an attempt to crush the voice of the Opposition.” Another leader said unlike an earlier meeting with the President on the demonetisation issue, Mr. Mukherjee asked many questions on Thursday.
The amendments that had been brought into the taxation Bill were brought in by the government in the wake of its demonetisation move: under the scheme, taxpayers may declare undisclosed income possessed in the form of cash or deposited in banks, post offices or Reserve Bank of India before a notified date. In such cases, taxes and penalties will be levied, to the extent of 50 per cent, 25 per cent will be returned and another 25 per cent will be deposited with the government for four years — the interest earned on that will fund the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016.
In the letter submitted to the President, the MPs have written: “We had gravely apprehended that Parliamentary procedures, seeking the participation of all members in the House in a fruitful legislative debate, would be abandoned for the passage of the Bill. ..the Bill was passed without discussion in the Lok Sabha. Members’ rights to pass amendments were also bypassed.”
