Taking objection to the Goa government’s proposal to impose tax on trucks carrying fish for sale outside the state, the Karnataka government on Tuesday described the proposed move as “not in good taste” and that it smacked of “selfishness”.Karnataka’s retort comes in the backdrop of Goa’s fisheries minister Vinod Palyekar’s statement on the levy: “Sale of fish from Goa to other states will attract a heavy fee to discourage fish from Goa’s coast being sold in other states. The intention is to make seafood abundantly available for Goans in Goa. We are seriously thinking of imposing a fee on trucks that carry fish from Goa to neighbouring states.” Karnataka’s fisheries minister Pramod Madhwaraj, told reporters, “If all states start imposing such taxes it will lead to a major problem. It is not in good taste and will affect Karnataka too. A state should not be selfish and instead, give importance to national interest. It is an immature statement made by the Goa fisheries minister.” The minister maintained that the average marine fish catch has plummeted this year. This is mainly because of over-exploitation, non-compliance with conservation norms and lack of a uniform fishing policy in the country. Asked to quantify the marine fish yield in the state, the minister said, “I have stopped asking for details pertaining to fish production as we cannot get exact numbers.” However, a senior official from the fisheries department said the average fish catch in Karnataka’s coastal region is 4 lakh tonne per year, and fish exports from the state add up to Rs 1,500 crore.
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