Proposal of Modi Government to impose Income Tax on agriculture will bury already dying agriculture: Mann

Chandigarh, July 2, 2016: The proposal to impose income tax on agriculture by the central government is a deep rooted conspiracy to finish the agriculture.
In a press statement issued by Bhupinder Singh Mann, Ex MP and National President BKU, he reacted sharply and condemns this anti-farmer proposal of the Modi government. He said that the agriculture sector has already become nonviable and the farmers are committing suicides to escape the stress of this tyrant vocation. When Modi government had backed out on its promise made in manifesto to implement The Swaminathan Commission recommendations, it had exposed its anti-farmer face. With this move to impose income tax on agriculture will completely expose that Naridar Modi and his government is against farmers and can think only for the corporate sector.
S. Bhupinder Singh Mann further elaborated that the farmers are already victims of very high indirect tax. As per the data of Ministry of Commerce report polished in 1995 that farmers are subjected to indirect tax of Rs. 9872 cr per year.
As per the report of the task force on agriculture which was headed by Sh. Sharad Joshi, farmers are subjected to indirect tax of Rs. 113000 crores due to different restrictions imposed on agriculture. This indirect taxation is increasing every year and is estimated to have reached Rs. 200000 crore per year in 2015. This indirect tax or Negative Aggregate Measure of Support to agriculture is the primary reason for the high indebtness of agriculture which is forcing the farmers to commit suicides.
Instead of waving the loan on farmers, this Government is planning to impose income tax on agriculture which will completely kill the agriculture sector.
S. Mann called upon all the member of Parliaments irrespective of their political allegiance to oppose this move by the Modi Government.
S. Mann reminded Modi that farmers are not paid appropriate price of their produce and the same time they are forced to by the input materials at the market price. He said that the restrictions imposed on agriculture are like “Sanctions” imposed by countries on hostile countries like the American Sanctions imposed on Iraq and Iran in the past. This is shocking that the Government impose such Sanctions on the farmers who are feeding the entire nation. He re-iterated his demand for constitution of an income commission for farmers so that the farmers are able to sustain their livelihood.