Faster B&B registrations, GST changes passed in Assembly

New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly on Friday cleared amendments proposed in a home stay scheme, which will allow hosts to register for it in a span of 30 days instead of the earlier 90-day period. The amendment in the 'Bed and Breakfast Scheme' will help promote tourism in the post-Covid era, the government said in a statement.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia during the last day of the Monsoon Session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly on Friday moved a motion before the House to amend the ambitious scheme to promote tourism in Delhi, which was passed in the Delhi Assembly. Now, under the 'Bed and Breakfast Scheme', hosts can get registered in 30 days instead of 90 days, the statement said. So far, 1,630 rooms, spanning 347 houses have been registered under the scheme. This number will increase rapidly now after the change in the rule, it added.

"The Delhi government has come up with an important scheme to promote tourism in Delhi. Under this scheme, tourists, especially foreign tourists, can stay at an Indian family's home for the purpose of experiencing Indian familial traditions and culture," Sisodia said.

"In order to cover more and more households in this scheme, the Delhi government has reduced the entire process of registration from 90 days to 30 days by making changes in it," Sisodia, who also holds the portfolio of tourism, said.

Also, landlords will not have to go to offices to get certificates, as they will be provided online, he added. Under the 'Bed and Breakfast Scheme', those landlords can apply who have one to six rooms, which are empty, and necessary facilities available for tourists, the statement said. The landlord's family should be living in that house and the house should not be in the category of a guest house, lodge, or hotel, it added. This scheme will not only benefit tourists but will also be a source of income for the hosts. With the strengthening of the tourism sector after COVID-19 pandemic, the means of employment of people will also increase with this scheme, the government said.

Plugging GST fraud: In addition to this, the Delhi Assembly also passed the 'Delhi Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2021' to smoothen the GST filing process and to prevent tax evasion, amid opposition from the BJP over its introduction and passage on the same day.

Small changes have been made in 15 sections of the Delhi GST Act. These have been incorporated on the basis of experiences and feedback from traders, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

GST is a new law; it has come to our notice that some people took advantage of it and evaded tax. So, some amendments are aimed at plugging tax evasion, the Deputy CM said.

He said one of the amendments does away with the need for a mandatory audit and reconciliation of registered traders with a turnover of 1.5 crore and above — which will reduce the dependency of traders on CAs and company secretaries. As the bill was being introduced, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta objected to the government bringing the bill, discussing it and passing it the same day. However, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said the bill was sent in soft copy to all members a day ago.