Rajasthan Received over Rs 1,200 cr From Cow Protection Surcharge in 2 years

Cow Protection Surcharge

The Rajasthan government received more than Rs 1,200 crore from taxes levied for cow protection surcharge in the last two years, according to data provided by the state’s Gopalan Department in response to a question in the state Assembly.

The state earned a total revenue of Rs 1,252.9 crore from such taxes during 2018-19 and 2019-20, the department stated. The government received Rs 266.13 crore as taxes levied on stamp duty for the purpose of cow protection in 2018-19, while this revenue increased to Rs 291.98 crore in 2019-20. Similarly, in 2018-19, the revenue from taxes levied on liquor for cow protection amounted to Rs 270.12 crore which increased to Rs 424.68 crore in 2019-20, according to data.

Meanwhile, the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan Friday introduced The Rajasthan Stamp (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the ongoing Assembly session, which, apart from the purpose of conservation of cow and its progeny, also seeks to use the surcharge on stamp duty, not exceeding 20 percent of the duty chargeable on such instruments, for the purposes of mitigating natural or manmade calamities like drought, flood, epidemic, public health exigencies, fire, etc.

“In order to provide immediate relief to people suffering from the sudden outbreak of Covid-19 in the form of food, shelter, transportation and health services and also having in mind the future need of resources for emergent situations… it is considered appropriate to widen the scope of Section 3-B of the Rajasthan Stamp Act, 1998,” states the statement of objects and reasons for the Bill.

“The money will be continued to be spent on the welfare of cows, but apart from that, now the remaining extra funds will be spent on natural calamities,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal told The Indian Express. According to the Bill, the Governor on May 13 promulgated the Rajasthan Stamp (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, which the Bill now seeks to replace.

The data further reveals that in the past two years, the government has distributed grants of Rs 645.79 crore to cow shelters across the state. As per the data, the grants have been distributed to 1,836 shelters till March 31.

Read: 28-Day Vaccination Drive Launched to Save Cows from Foot and Mouth Disease 

Source: The article is extracted from The IndianExpress, August 24, 2020.