Jalandhar, 02nd November, 2008: Senior BJP Leader and Punjab State Chief of BJP Investor Cell, Advocate Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal termed the unconstitutional “additional 3% stamp duty” awfully imposed by the then Captain Amarinder Singh’s led Congress Government as “Aurangzeb’s Jazia Tax” blatantly charged from 39 “Class-II”,

31 “Class-III” Municipalities and 29 Nagar Panchayats all over Punjab.Grewal wrote to Sardar Prakash Singh Badal, Honorable Chief Minister, Punjab and demanded that he should take immediate and requisite corrective action to grant much needed rightful relief to people of Punjab as SAD-BJP Government is committed to “RAJ NAHI SEWA” and tenets central to its formation is against “autocracy”. Grewal added that he will also notify respective District Commissioners across Punjab to ensure that no further illegal and unconstitutional levies are imposed upon Retail Investors. Grewal stated that previous Capt Amarinder Singh led Congress Government issued an autocratic ordinance imposing additional 3% stamp duty on several transactions including immovable property, which was condemned stupendously by people at large and SAD-BJP alliance. Later, Congress Government amended Indian Stamp Act and converted this ordinance into law by adding Section 3-C (inserted by Punjab Act No. 11 of 2005) in Indian Stamp Act and imposed an additional 3% Stamp duty and restricted the additional levy to areas of Municipal Corporations and Class I Municipalities by getting an amendment passed in Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Considering the colossal public outcry and SAD-BJP protests the then Congress Government was forced to keep the areas of Class II and Class III Municipalities and Nagar Panchayats away from the effect of this amendment.

But the Capt Amarinder Singh led previous Congress Government unceremoniously recovered additional 3% levy in Class II, Class III and Nagar Panchayat areas all over the State burdening rural and sub-urban folks all over Punjab. Grewal added that due to this autocratic diktat of the then Captain Amarinder Singh Retail Investors and people transacting in Class II areas of Samana, Sirhind, Sunam, Ahmedgarh, Dhuri, Nakodar, Nawanshehar, Banga, Phillaur, Nurmahal, Dasuya, Urmur Tanda, Mukerian, Garshankar, Doraha, Raikot, Samrala, Ropar, Morinda, Kharar, Kurali, Guru Harsahai, Talwandi Bhai, Jalalabad, Zira, Jaitu, Giddarbaha, Bhuccho Mandi, Goniana, Rama, Maur, Budhlada, Jandialaguru, Patti, Tarantaran, Dhariwal, Dinanagar, Sultanpur Lodhi, Rampura Phul and Class III areas of Sangrur, Dera Bassi, Banur, Bassi Pathana, Amloh, Longowal, Bhiwanigarh, Lehragaga, Dhanuala, Tappa, Bhadaur, Kartarpur, Alawalpur, Adampur, Rahon, Gardhiwala, Haryana, Shamchurasi, Payal, Anandpur Sahib, Dharamkot, Sangat, Kotfata, Bareta, Majitha, Ramdass, Qadian, Dera Baba Nanak, Shri Hargobindpur, Fatehgarh Churian, Sujanpur and 29 other areas which fall within limits of Nagar Panchayats are made to pay excess levies unlawfully.

Grewal asserted that Section 3-C clearly states that additional stamp duty is applicable to only Municipal Corporation and Class-I Municipalities while it is horrendously charged in Class II, Class III Municipalities and in the areas of Nagar Panchayats and cited Section 3-C which reads as “Every Instrument mentioned in entry 23 of Schedule 1-A chargeable with duty under Section 3, shall in addition to that duty, be also chargeable with such duty, as specified in Schedule 1-B, if such an instrument is executed in the area failing within the jurisdiction of a Municipality or a Corporation or within the area of five kilometers from the outer limit of the Municipality or Corporation, as the case may be, as may be specified by the Collector. This shall be applicable only to Municipal Corporation and Class-I Municipalities”.

Grewal further clarified that as per Indian Stamp Act, “additional 3% Stamp Duty” cannot be levied over documents which are exempted from any Stamp Duty even in areas of Municipal Corporation and Class-I Municipalities but Revenue Officials are defying law and people are asked to pay additional 3% Stamp Duty by compulsion across Punjab. For instance, there is no Stamp Duty chargeable on transfer of ownership of Residential house from the name of father to his son or daughter etc. and only registration fee is chargeable as the same document is exempted from the Stamp Duty but the Revenue Officials are illegally forcing 3% additional Stamp Duty on the same, where the Stamp Duty itself is exempted, the question of paying additional Stamp Duty does not arise. So the above illegal and unconstitutional diktat of former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his anti people Government should be revoked and Revenue Officers should be issued immediate instructions to charge duties specifically as per Indian Stamp Act. He further demanded that SAD-BJP Government should conduct an enquiry against Capt. Amarinder Singh, former Chief Minister, former Revenue Minister and other bureaucrats responsible for the above omission and deceit with the people of Punjab and compensation be paid to those victimized by recovering the same from those found responsible.