Jammu:
Meeting a long-pending demand of local people and traders, the Jammu and Kashmir administration, earlier this year, abolished the road tariff at Lakhanpur toll plaza on Jammu-Pathankot Highway. This was one of the many steps taken by the central government towards the full integration of J&K with the country.
As Jammu and Kashmir completed a year since the nullification of the special status, the Ministry of Home Affairs tweeted about how the abolition of the Lakhanpur toll tax has given a boost to the region’s economy. The HMO wrote in its tweet that “Toll tax abolished at Lakhanpur in J&K. A big step towards the full integration of J&K with the country. This will provide a huge benefit to the local consumers and industries; prices of goods to fall by 5-25 per cent. #OneYearOfDevelopment“
The government reiterated that this historic decision has not only benefited the local consumers and industries but also it has helped in bringing down the costs of goods such as cement, Iron and many other consumer goods in J&K has fallen by 5-25 per cent. The government also said that the step was in line with the ‘One Nation One Market’ spirit of the GST.
In February 2019, the administration had constituted a committee to examine the level of toll tax being levied on various products entering Jammu and Kashmir, production, and export of locally produced products and modification, if any, as may be needed in the levy of toll tax.
The J&K government abolished the tariff amid the trader groups insisting upon the tariff abolition while local industrialist opposing the demand arguing that it would be a death knell for the local industry.
