Patna: Bihar Finance Bill, 2013, proposed to hike the VAT on coal and construction materials among others was today passed by the state legislative assembly by a voice vote.
Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary put the finance bill for voting which was passed amid confusion as the Leader of Opposition Abdul Bari Siddique challenged former`s announcement of passage of bill by a voice vote.
Chaudhary immediately called the legislative assembly officials to supervise voting by members through counting and asked for the gates shut to start the process.
Siddique, however, did not oppose the result through voice vote when the bill was passed for the third time.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi in his capacity as the finance minister introduced the Bihar Finance Bill, 2013.
It proposed to hike VAT on sale of coal and building materials like stone chips, marble and wooden materials, besides amendment in profession tax and Bihar Motor Vehicles Taxation Act, 1994 under which the state government has proposed to waive tax on purchase of tricycles by physically-challenged persons and purchase of vehicles by women in own name.
The Leader of Opposition, however, opposed the finance bill on the ground that it was not in the interests of the poor, the farmers and the middle class.
PTI
