Tuesday, 26 December 2023 | PNS | NAINITAL
The Nainital hotel and restaurant association has expressed concern regarding the order of the State tax department to check hotels in the State at a time when the hospitality sector is busy catering to Christmas and New Year revellers. The association’s head Digvijay Singh Bisht has written to the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami informing him about the position of those in the hotel and restaurant business in Nainital. In the letter written to the chief minister, Bisht has stated that the tourism business is a major part of the State’s economy. Thousands of families depend on their livelihood for the tourists who arrive here throughout the year. In addition to this, the government also earns a considerable revenue from the tourism business.
In a communication dated December 23, the additional commission of State tax, Dehradun, has directed that all hotels in the State should be checked. Bisht has contended that this direction does not appear to be fair. He further stated that at present, the hospitality business is busy catering to tourists who will be here from December 24 till January 1. After this period, the hospitality business will witness a drop in tourists for the next three months.
Considering this, checking the hotels and restaurants at this time is not proper, he said. Bisht further said that all the hotels and restaurants which are part of the association in Nainital are registered with the Tourism department. This is another reason why checking them at this time is not logical. If the State tax department wants to conduct checks at this time, it should focus on the hotels which are not registered with the authorities as these establishments do not contribute to the revenue earned by the State government. It is not proper to “harass” registered businesses at this time, he said, while appealing to the CM to direct swift action on this issue.
