Modi is robbing Peter to pay Paul: Dutta

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 5: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Anjan Dutta has gone hammer and tongs on Prime Minister rndra Modi saying that the latter has adopted the policy of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Talking to newsmen in Guwahati today, Dutta said: "Modi is squeezing the commoners so as to benefit the corporate sector. By hiking service tax from 12.36 per cent to 14 per cent, he is squeezing the exchequers of  common people and give that benefit to the Corporate sector by reducing corporate tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent. This slash in corporate tax leads to the exemption of Rs 55,000 crore tax for the Corporate sector, and in the process Modi has become richer by Rs 15,000 crore as that amount from the Rs 55,000 crore has gone to his pocket."

The hike in service tax, according to Dutta, is set to squeeze the common people of their exchequers as the step is set to increase rentals of hotels, cost of food in restaurants, mobile bills, landline telephone bill, internet service charge, bank service charge, insurance premier, travel costs, radio taxi, marriage halls rentals, construction materials, dry cleaning charge, etc., that have much to do with common people.

This apart, Dutta said, the Centre is going to charge another two per cent tax for, what it said, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.