The Bihar Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed by voice vote the Bihar Electricity Duty Bill 2018, and the Bihar State Higher Education Council Bill 2018.
The Electricity Duty Bill seeks to repeal the old Bihar Electricity Duty Act 1948, considering the changes that have taken place in the power sector, while the Bihar State Higher Education Council Bill 2018 will regulate the growth of higher education in the state under the Centre's Rashtriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) launched in 2013.
With the implementation of the Electricity Duty Bill, the state government is expected to collect Rs 300 crore in the current fiscal against Rs 225.53 crore in 2016-17, and Rs 174.29 crore which has been collected by the end of February 2018 of the current fiscal, said Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who also holds the commercial taxes portfolio.
Against the old Act of 1948 which levied electricity duty on sale and consumption, the new Bill seeks to levy duty on consumption only, he said.
The Bill seeks to introduce the provision of taxation on the new regime of power trading, exchange of power and open access, which did not find any mention in the old Act.
The House rejected 61 amendments to Bihar Electricity Duty Bill 2018, and 58 amendments to Bihar State Higher Education Council Bill 2018, moved by Ramdeo Rai (Congress), and Sameer Kumar Mahaseth and Bhola Yadav (RJD).