Shillong, Oct 22: The Executive Member in charge of the Finance Department of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), Seiborlang Warbah, informed the house that the council has collected around Rs 11.57 crore as professional tax from March to September 2025.
This came in response to a question raised by Nongshken MDC Grace Mary Kharpuri during the Question Hour on the opening day of the Winter Session of the KHADC here on Wednesday.
Warbah said that the department will continue to streamline the collection of professional tax within the jurisdiction of the council.
However, opposition MDCs questioned the fairness of the tax system. Arranged in different tax slabs, even a crorepati would pay only Rs 2,500 in professional tax as the highest slab is for those who earn Rs 5 lakh and above. The rate is fixed and not based on a percentage of income. Professional tax is levied on those who earn more than Rs 50,000 per annum.
Through a question from Laban-Mawprem MDC Ricky Shullai, it emerged that professionals who work for themselves, such as lawyers, do not pay professional tax as, Warbah explained, they do not receive a fixed salary.
Reacting to this, Shullai said that if the professional tax does not apply to lawyers, how can it apply to people selling kwai on the street who themselves do not have enough income?
Mawshynrut MDC Srally Rashir and Sohra MDC Titostarwell Chyne, who is also the Leader of the Opposition, also took part in the questioning of the executive committee on professional tax.
Chyne again asked about the collection of the tax by the KHADC from kwai sellers, to which Strongpillar Kharjana, KHADC Chairman, said that the same question should not be asked again. This upset Chyne, who said that it was still Question Hour and he did not ask the query asked by others.
