What we must admit is that unfair business practice in many business sectors is much more prominent and practiced in each and every corner of NE India. That is why people in NE India pay 2-3 times more in many commodities in comparison to other parts of the country. Even before the "goonda tax" or "hafta" (these systems are not very old in Assam and NE), the consumer of NE were paying more for everything. Scarcity (created artificially), blaming flood (may be not devastating), transportation, un-accountable taxes on road, insurgency, bla bla have always been blamed for increase in price in NE. In fact if damage is x the claim from public is 2x or 3x. I have never seen a business going down due to these factors; rather it flourishes. Accountability of income and taxes may be a different story altogether. One thought...may be the "hafta" system created by the society is a boomerang of unfair business practices.
Dwipen Boruah
