Team Herald
PANJIM: Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao on Wednesday alleged that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is more interested in exempting casinos from levy of 28 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the pretext of tourism footfalls, rather than to recover dues of Rs 349 crore from land based casinos.
In a statement, he said, “It is surprising that instead recovering dues from casinos, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is keen to help them by excluding from GST, that too on the pretext of tourism footfall. Does he want to prove that the tourism sector is dependent only on casinos? Why so much love for casinos and not revenue generation to boost coffers.”
Alemao pointed out that there were instances in the past wherein casinos from other countries were advertising in Goa and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had failed to pull down their hoardings.
“These casinos were advertising in the State by violating Section 12 of Goa Daman and Diu Gambling Act but there was no action by the government. The concerned departments have completely failed to tackle such menace. The BJP government is helping them to promote business illegally,” the Cuncolim MLA said.
“If tourism footfall is dependent on casinos, then Chief Minister Pramod Sawant admits that Home Stay and Caravan policies have failed, and also if eco-tourism, wellness Ayurveda, spiritual tourism, sports tourism, monsoon trekking failed to attract tourists,” Alemao pointed out.
CM on Tuesday said that the 28 per cent GST on full face value of bets in online gaming as well as casinos had affected the overall footfall in Goa. “Overall footfall has been affected. People who were coming to Goa only to visit or play in casinos are now preferring to go to countries like Sri Lanka,” Sawant said after attending the GST council meeting on Monday.