Tourist buses should be exempted from high tax

Thursday, August 31, 2023

The Travel Agents Association, Gujarat, has requested an exemption from the high tax that is being inflicted on tourist buses that are entering Himachal Pradesh. During a meeting, they proposed this demand that was organized with the Shimla Hotels and Tourism Stakeholders’ Association in Gujarat of late.

The members of SHTA informed that Gujarat tourists play a major role in enhancing Himachal tourism but high taxes are disheartening many travel agents from sending their visitors to the state.

The joint secretary, SHTA, Mr. Tarun Bakshi, headed a delegation of the representative of the Gujarat association and organized a conference with the agents of travel at Gandhinagar at the time of the Tourism Trade Fare.

Bakshi explained that buses entering Himachal with high taxes are discoraging the visitors and the state government is losing huge revenue on this. He said that they have made sure to the travel agents that the matter would be proposed to the state government asap.

The president of Travel Agent Association of Pan India, Vineesh Shah, said that Gujarat travel agents are interested to encourage Himachal tourism but there are some important problems because of which tour operators are not willing to bring their tourist groups to this hill state.

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