Assam govt proposes to bring e-shopping under tax net

The Assam government has proposed to impose tax on online shopping and e-commerce trade in the state. To tax the online shopping through the entry tax route, the government has proposed to amend in the Assam Entry Tax (Amendment) Bill 2014. It seeks to insert a residuary entry for levy of entry tax on goods not specified in any of the entry of the schedule.

"The commissioner of taxes, with the prior approval of the state government may by notification in the official gazette formulate simple procedure for the collection of entry tax on entry of specified goods into any local area made through online purchase or e-commerce and such procedure may also provide for collection of entry tax from a person other than an importer but on behalf of the importer," said the bill.

The report first appeared in The Economic Times.

The size of the online shopping industry in the Northeast India is Rs 75-100 crore. According to a recent study by lifestyle e-tailer Myntra, Assam's state capital Guwahati was ranked 11th among the top 15 cities in India for online shopping. In the top bracket were Delhi NCR, Bangalore and Mumbai.

(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)