Do tribal people in India pay taxes and vote?

Yes. Members of Scheduled Tribes are full citizens of India. They vote in all elections, and seats are reserved for them in parliament and state assemblies. They pay taxes like other citizens, with one notable exception: an income tax exemption for Scheduled Tribe members living in certain north-eastern areas and Ladakh.

India has had universal adult voting since its constitution came into force in 1950. Every citizen aged 18 or over can vote. In addition, 47 seats in the Lok Sabha and many seats in state assemblies are reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates, though all voters in those constituencies take part.

For income tax, Section 10(26) of the Income Tax Act exempts members of Scheduled Tribes who live in specified areas, including Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, the Sixth Schedule areas and Ladakh. It covers only income that arises in those areas. A tribal person living or earning elsewhere is taxed normally.

Tribal people pay indirect taxes such as the goods and services tax whenever they buy things, as everyone does. In practice most tribal households, like most households in India, have incomes below the level at which income tax is due, so the exemption affects a fairly small number of people.

Words used here

Sources

• Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of Indiatribal.nic.in
• Income Tax Department, Government of Indiaincometax.gov.in
• Election Commission of Indiaeci.gov.in

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