Thaindian News

Lucknow, July 24 (IANS) The district magistrate of Lakhimpur-Kheri in Uttar Pradesh has decided to impose entertainment tax, which is normally applicable for amusement parks, on the Dudhwa National Park, officials said here Friday.
In a letter sent to the national park’s director last week, the district magistrate not only sought to know the revenue earned by the park over the past four years but also raised a demand for payment of 30 percent of that amount as entertainment tax.

“I have not been able to figure out how such a demand could be raised by a district magistrate unless he does not understand the difference between a wildlife park and an amusement park,” state chief wildlife conservator B.K. Patnaik told IANS.

According to top officials of both forests and the institutional finance ministries, the demand was “extra-constitutional”.

A park official disclosed that an official of the entertainment tax department had some time back visited the national park with a few of his friends and wanted free hospitality, which was refused.

“Sure enough, the imposition of entertainment tax is a reaction to our refusal to oblige the official,” he said.

State principal secretary (institutional finance) D.D. Verma said: “I am gathering all facts related to this case and will take the officials to task in case it was found that they had acted on account of vested interests.”