West Bengal will soon have a tax on entry of goods from outside as well as for inter-state movement of good.

Entry tax, earlier repealed from the state, is making a comeback with The West Bengal Tax on Entry of Goods into Local Areas Bill, 2012 being passed in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly here on Friday.

The Bill, soon to be made into an Act, will tax goods entering into the State and on movement of goods within the State at 5 per cent. The tax will be levied on all dealers, importers and on “any specified goods into a local area, or on the quantity or weight of any specified goods”.

The Bill, introduced by the state finance minister, Mr Amit Mitra, however, does not specify the taxable goods or the amount the state government plans to collect from the tax.

A “compensatory fund” from the tax will be set up for local area development through the tax so collected. The “compensatory fund” will be used in setting up roads and allied infrastructure such as sub-ways and bridges, linking markets and providing grants and subsidies to local bodies and state government agencies.

>abhishek.l@thehindu.co.in

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