Himachal Assembly passes Stamp Duty Amendment Bill 

Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed the HP Stamp Duty amendment bill with an amended form relaxing eight percent stamp duty to women for registration of property up to 80 lakh.

Justifying the purpose of the bill CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said that the bill has been brought to hike the stamp duty and would not affect common man who have small landholdings. Those who sell and purchase properties are not common people and many of the property deals are being executed through the power of attorney.  He said that many cases came to light about the sale of land being done to outsiders through PoA.

Accepting the contention of BJP MLA Randhir Sharma Chief minister said that a word would be inserted in the Stamp duty amendment bill moved by the government on Thursday that a hike of eight percent Stamp duty for the sale of property above 50 lakh would be substituted to 80 for women.

 Mr Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that opposition benches are opposing the bill just for the sake of protesting.  The state has a burden of Rs 75 thousand crores.  Free work would not suffice, we will have to make strong decisions.  How long will we keep drinking ghee on loan?  now it is time to take calls by sharing the burden with those who can afford it.

He said “How many people in the society use stamp duty?  It is only a few percent of people who have money and do business in it.  Most of the population is kept out of this.

He said that we know how many people give GPA who would affected by the hike in Stamp duty.   If seen from the right perspective.  We have kept the neighboring state Haryana at par with it. The state has not done more than Punjab before framing the bill state has done a complete study.

Replying to the increase in stamp duty causes 

 inflation, the Minister said that the central government has been in power for nine years, BJP has increased the price of cement and kept increasing the prices of diesel and petrol.  Raise millions of rupees every year That petrol was worth fifty rupees and LPG cylinders was less than Rs 500 cross 1000. It is not without thinking that it has been brought in that way keeping in mind the numbers of the state, if women have equal rights then there should be equal cooperation in the self-reliance of Himachal.

Cement and electricity have increased, stamp duty has increased, and the financial burden on the government is increasing.

Earlier speaking on the HP Stamp duty amendment bill 2023 BJP Member Randhir Sharma said that power of attorney is increasing ten times from Rs 100 to Rs 1000. Please reduce it. He said that roll back this increase. 

 “Settlement became minimum 100, maximum 1000, now 2000 and maximum 5 thousand.  This is an economic burden on the general public.  Government should reconsider this” Mr Sharma said.

 He said that earlier there was a four percent stamp duty for women and six percent for others on the purchase and sale of property. Now this limit is up to Rs 50 lakh.  But if it is more then everyone will be charged 8 percent, this is discrimination against women.  

Just like there were exemptions for women earlier, it should not be increased, it should not be increased, what was there before should be increased and if it is to be increased then women should get this exemption.  

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said that when women empowerment is being talked about in the country, it should be reflected in this.

 He said that Congress does not have to give 1500 rupees to women, but you are putting this financial burden on women.  This is serious,  People will come to know when the registration is done.  You rise above party politics and bring it back.

BJP Member  Trilok Jamwal said that who would pay stamp duty on this if a limit of Rs 50 lakh would be made.  It should have been made five percent instead of four as the increase is double. 

 After the launch government accepted the proposal of the opposition and they moved an additional amendment in the bill introduced earlier. 

Opposition BJP opposed the amendment and they walked out of the house when Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi was relying on the passing of the bill. He said that opposition should understand that if the bill would not be accepted in the amended form it was already introduced in the house on Thursday.

Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that BJP members themselves have proposed the amendment to eight percent to relax stamp duty for women above 50 pc which was amended in the reintroduced draft of the bill in the house but opposition MLA still opposing the same.

After BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the house against the passing of the introduction of the bill the amendment was passed by the treasury benches with voice votes in the absence of opposition.