Business Association of Nagas (BAN) was instituted under the aegis of Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) in 2013, to primarily look into the security and welfare of the business community and promoting Naga entrepreneurs while building robust economy and generating employment in the State. The Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), Charkroma Public Orgainsation (Chumokedima Circle), Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CNCCI), the Chumokedima Chamber of Trade and Commerce Association (CCTCA), Sovima Village Council and Darogapathar Village Council have stood up against unabated taxation at the right time and BAN extend our full support and endorsement for this collective cause of our society.
BAN is constrained to state that unabated taxation by several Naga political groups and the multiple tax on every consumer items have exceeded all tolerable limits. The global pandemic for nearly two years have negatively impacted the economy and the first generation local entrepreneurs in Nagaland are the most persecuted lot due to these unsolicited taxes and pandemic. In compliance with the Government of Nagaland SOPs the lockdown have effected almost all businesses especially trading, transport, essential commodities, restaurants and hotels, event management and rentals, constructions, etc.
Many businesses had closed and many are on the brink of closures. Businesses have come to a point where enterprises might fail but if the entrepreneur is finished, thousands of employees in the unorganized private sectors will be left jobless. Without the employers there is no question of creating employment opportunities. Nagas business owners are for the first time in a lifetime facing such a devastating pandemic that the whole supply chain from production to marketing has been brought to grinding standstill and the suffering of the business community is excruciating.
Even under such circumstances, the continued unreasonable demands by the armed groups is the last straw that will break the entrepreneurial spirit of a small emerging group of local young people, who prefer to live a dignified life with their sweat and toil. Forced extortion now operates like a well-oiled machinery that dodges all surveillance of the Government agencies and is the only obnoxious industry that seems to be thriving during these unprecedented times. In a continuous upgrade of strategic means to collect such unwanted taxes the use of juveniles to act as informants and collect taxes is another disturbing trend that needs to be stopped immediately.
BAN questions the sincerity and doubts the motives behind various ceasefire agreements being signed between the Government of India with various Naga political groups. The ceasefire ground rules allows various categories of arm card holders which can be easily misused to intimidate and coerce the public. The cadres of the various armed groups having ceasefire with the Government of India, instead of being confined to their designated camps are brawling in all trade and commerce activities collecting their loot from various business houses at their whims and fancies. BAN wonders whether the GOI has also given them the license to collect their rations and expenses in the name of taxation. BAN reiterate the Naga public mandate of “One Government, One Tax” as declared on the 31st October 2013.
The indirect taxation levied on every commodity multiple times has an adverse cascading effect right down to the poorest of the poor living in both rural and urban areas of Nagaland. When we pay tax to the Government, why can’t the state machineries be deployed efficiently to curb this menace that is going around rampantly? It is the Government’s legitimate responsibility to instill confidence among the entrepreneurs and assure security for all businesses by ensuring rule of law. Therefore BAN appeals to the State machineries to deal with such elements befittingly and tactfully as per the law of the land.
BAN members can contact the following mobile numbers to address their grievances:
8837428416
9862259701
7005287241
9436012590
9863861450
