SHILLONG, MAY 16: The state Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and Sale of Teer Tickets Ordinance, 2018 to regulate the game of arrow shooting in the state.
The decision was taken after the Meghalaya Amusement and Betting Tax (MABT) Act, 1982 was repealed with the implementation of the new tax regime Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July last year.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong said, “When the GST came in this Act (MABT, which have various items under it) was treated as repealed. The Ordinance was necessitated because this item (teer) was not covered under the GST.”
Home minister and spokesperson of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government James K Sangma said that in the absence of an Act, the cabinet decided to regulate the game of arrow shooting by approving the Ordinance.
“The Ordinance will enable the government to collect license fees,” he said.
Asked, Sangma said that the revenue generated from the game was Rs 1.1 crore during the year 2014-15 and Rs 1.73 crore in 2015-16. There are 7 organizations authorized by the state government to conduct the arrow shooting in several places of the state.
However, the deputy chief minister added that the after the GST was implemented, the government was not able to collect the license fees (for many months).
On teer counters outside the state, Tynsong said that the department of taxation was asked to come back with suggestion whether fees can be imposed on those teer counters outside the state.
By Our Reporter
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