Miscellaneous Taxes in Trail Period

Administration of G. W. Trail in Garhwal and Kumaon -9

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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -10

            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -848

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                              By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)

  Apart from land tax on people of Garhwal, there were other various taxes on the citizens in Trail period.

  The miscellaneous tax in Garhwal under Gurkha rule in 1811 was as under (Atkinson)

 Tax /Kar -----------------------------Gurkha rupees

Salami or presentation ------------------ 1147

Mijhari /Dom Kar of Leather Tanning on Scheduled Caste – 454

Tandkar , Weaving tax --------------------- 1283

Soniya fagun /festivals tax--------------------1495

Tambakhan, Copper mines/mint--------------2401

Addhani-Daftari , record keeping tax  ------------1495

Sayar , Import –Export duty ---------------------- 10900

Kuirsal / catechu tax--------------------------- 170

Kath-Bans , tax on bamboo and wood ------------ 600

Chungi , miscellaneous tax------------------ 200

Asmani-Farmani , Punishment tax ------------ 2000

  There were other taxes as taxes on hemp and hemp produces, opium, soaps, tobacco. There were taxes on mint, river crossing , slavery sales and purchase etc.

  Trail administration decided for banning on slavery and kept the tax structure the same as of Gurkha rule barring slavery tax, the order was passed on 2^nd June 1815. However, later on British administration abolished Asmani and Farmani tax too. Trail stopped ‘Dom kar’ or tax on leather tanning (Atkinson page 289).

                     Tax on Food Articles

    There is interesting matter on taxation on food articles in Gurkha regime time. There was tax on export and import on food articles. However, officials of Gurkha administration exempted tax on a few people for food article taxes. The tax exemption resulted in loss for exchequer and complexities for Tax collector in Octori post.  There were a few Brahmins those were exempted for tax on food articles import and exports. The Gurkha officials exempted half the amount for certain Brahmins (2).  Trail wrote that he was against exemption of import and export taxes on food articles for a few Brahmins and he informed that he was stopping exemption. (3).

       There was pleas from the priests of Badrinath, Kedarnath and Kamleshwar temples that they should be exempted from food import taxes.

   However, the local administration did not abide the order of Trail and exempted taxes on Bheli, Sugar, Khand , grams, sandal  etc for Temples. (Atkinson, page 25) . The letter of Trail of 1^st December shows that administrator did not abide the order of Trail.

            The tax officials were corrupt and they used to collect taxes on wood, forest produces from the businessmen  at Ghat or Octroi posts but did not submit the tax to the treasury. The state was always in loss of not getting actual revenues.  Trail advised to the administration for auctioning Octroi post on contract. The Shringar administration accepted the suggestion of Trail and started auctioning the Octroi post or toll tax posts to the contractors. The title for Wood tax was ‘Kath-bans’ (3).   

Reference- 1- Atkinson, Himalayan districts Vol. 3, page 283

2 and 3-English Pre Mutiny Record , Kumaon 1816, Part -2, Vol.8

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com 11/7/2016

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -849

*** History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun, (Pauri , Rudraprayag, and Chamoli) Garhwal (1815-1947) to be continued in next chapter

(The History of Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar write up is aimed for general readers)

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References  

 1-Shiv Prasad Dabral ‘Charan’, Uttarakhand ka Itihas, Part -7 Garhwal par British -Shasan,  part -1, page

2-Maularam, Badariashtak

3-Devar, English Pre Mutiny Records

4- Atkinson, Himalayan Districts vol. 3 ,

 5- English Pre Mutiny Records, Kumaon 1816, part-1, Vol. – 7

6- Johan Pemble , Invasion of Nepal

      Xx

History of British Rule, Administration, Policies, Revenue system,  over Garhwal, Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies Revenue system  over Pauri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Chamoli Garhwal, Nainital Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Rudraprayag Garhwal, Almora Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Dehradun , Champawat Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies, ,Revenue system  over Bageshwar  Kumaon, Uttarakhand;

History of British Rule, Administration, Policies, Revenue system over Haridwar, Pithoragarh Kumaon, Uttarakhand;