Kerala - Kochi   

Tax hike on lotteries upheld

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has upheld the Government action in increasing the tax per draw of paper lotteries from Rs.2.5 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh.

Justice C.N. Ramachandran Nair upheld the tax hike while dismissing a writ petition filed by the State of Sikkim challenging the Government Order. The petitioner also questioned the validity of the Kerala Tax on Paper Lotteries Act. The petitioner raised allegations of discrimination against the Government.

The court observed that the petitioner was still in the lottery business. Others who were also doing lottery business had paid the tax. Therefore, the argument that it was an indirect way of stopping the lottery business of other States could not be accepted. The court also added that the tax was imposed on gambling and it was not a regulatory one. It did not interfere with or regulate the right of other States to carry on the lottery business.

Justice K.M. Joseph on Tuesday made it clear that the acceptance of nomination of those who were granted shares of Rs. 10,000 by the administrators of the Pariyaram Hospital Society would be provisional and subject to the outcome of the writ petition challenging the action of the administrators.

The petition was filed by Ajeer and two others seeking to restrain the returning officers from accepting the nomination papers of those who did not have shares of Rs. 10, 000 as on the date of election notification. The petitioner contended that the administrators had no right to grant shares to these persons. So the action of the administrators was illegal.

The court enquired orally whether the receiver could be appointed for the properties of Dhanyasree Yathri Nivas in Munnar. The court made the enquiry when the petition filed by the owners of the resort challenging the cancellation of its title deed came up. The court posted the case to September 18 for further hearing.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Reaching out to people in distress
Monsoon musings in Kochi
Air Arabia announces more services
Tax hike on lotteries upheld
Vatican diplomat at the U.N.
Probe ordered into One-Lakh Housing Scheme
Periyar discolouration still a mystery
Turbidity falls
Kudumbashree units to be trained in bag-making
Evictees to get fair compensation
Work on coastal highway to begin soon
Solidarity march against retail chains
‘Debt-free’ CIAL aims high
Corporate big shots eye CIAL shares
Tourism in limbo at Kumbalanghi
Indo-Italian business set to grow
Students in district learn the hard way
Strict measures ensured good milk for Onam
Rat fever cases high in Corporation areas
Coir traders seek support to boost sales
Traffic snarls
They hit, run but remain untraced
Measures sought to rein in errant private bus drivers
MoU signed with Norwegian agency to help in cage farming of fish
Finance Minister carries out survey of road repair
IN Kochi today

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu