The civic body also floated a tender with a base price of ₹25 lakh for collecting the amounts from tourists. If the civic body collects the taxes directly without involving hotels, we are fine,” a hotelier had said. Hoteliers had said they would have no problems if the civic body collected the taxes at entry points. Following the opposition, Anit Thapa, the chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), directed the civic body to shelve the plan. Darjeeling civic chairman Dipendra Thakuri admitted that the municipality was planning to relaunch the tourist tax.

Source: The Telegraph August 01, 2024 07:22 UTC