Mamata Slams ‘Puja Tax’; Top I-T Official Says Row Rests on Misleading Facts

Income Tax officials in Kolkata have rejected West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s claim that the department sent notices to Durga Puja committees in the city, calling the reports factually wrong. On Tuesday the Trinamool Congress staged a day-long dharna over the issue, accusing the BJP-led central government of trying to intimidate the committees into falling in line. Party workers carried posters and placards and charged the Centre with hurting Bengali religious sentiments.

The department’s version

A senior I-T official said no tax notices had been sent to any puja committee in Kolkata and that the outcry was built on untrue claims. Banerjee had accused the department of burdening even idol makers, buyers, priests and dhakis, the traditional drummers. The official said tax deducted at source (TDS) did not apply to idol makers or buyers because such purchases are outright, and that priests, drummers and artisans were not covered by section 133(6).

He explained that information on payments had been sought from 42 committees under section 133(6) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Of these, five had followed the TDS rules for years, seven had started complying and the remaining 30 had promised to cooperate, after which an outreach programme was held at their request. The requests were sent on December 21, 2018, with a reply deadline of January 7, 2019, and concerned only TDS on payments to contractors and event managers, he said.

Banerjee’s response and the committees’ concern

In a Facebook post, Banerjee said a CBDT press release on what is popularly called the ‘Puja Jijia Tax’ contained claims that themselves showed it was wrong. She called it a “sheer distortion of facts” intended to confuse local people and puja committees.

West Bengal holds more than 25,000 Durga Pujas a year, about 2,000 of them in Kolkata, and 386 have come together as the Forum for Durgotsav. Its secretary, Saswata Bose, said committees had been told to deduct TDS on vendor payments above Rs 30,000 and to file returns. He said small committees would struggle with the paperwork and would need to hire help, and he asked the department to reconsider.

See also: election news and Bharatiya Janata Party.

Originally published on 14 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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