Times
of India: Chandigarh: Friday, 05 September 2014.
In the last
two years, UT administration has ordered the excise and taxation department
eight times to inquire why hotels and restaurants in city were imposing illegal
service charge. However, while the excise department has failed to initiate a
probe, it now looks adamant on hiding what became of all these inquiries
ordered by the home department.
To a
recently-filed RTI query seeking details of these marked probes, the department
first refused to reveal anything and when the applicant tried to file an appeal
against it under the provisions of the RTI act, it was not entertained.
Tax lawyer
Ajay Jagga, who has been raising this issue for last eight years now and also
filed the RTI application, said he ran from pillar to post to make the taxation
department accept his appeal.
"For two
days, the staff at the office of deputy commissioner, who is the chief
information commissioner, did not accept my appeal giving a variety of silly
excuses. It was sheer harassment," alleged Jagga.
"The
situation is so bad that it is almost defeating the purpose of the RTI act
because the application is not answered and the appeal is not accepted,"
he added.
Jagga said
that while the UT administration has failed to rein in city hotels and
restaurants, the taxation department is trying to hide what became of the
probes ordered by the home department. These queries were made between January
2012 and August 2014. Jagga has now written to city MP Kirron Kher and the UT
administration asking them to stop city hotels and restaurants from
overcharging customers in the guise of unlawful taxes.
The
restaurants have been charging 5% extra VAT and an illegal service charge
around 5% to 10% from customers in the name of tipping waiters for years now.
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