Traders protest compliance requirements; A’bad, Surat, Rajkot, Junagadh, Jetpur, Veraval markets down shutters
Major markets in Ahmedabad and leading trading centres across the state observed bandh on Thursday in protest against Goods and Service Tax (GST) which will come into force on July 1 onwards. Traders are protesting against compliance requirements which they feel can potentially derail the business and taxes levied on essential items like food and fabrics.
All major wholesale markets in Ahmedabad, like Madhupura, Kalupur, Relief Road and Gandhi Road remained closed because of bandh call given by various trade bodies. Traders who had remain passive till just a week ago too joined the protest.
“There were sporadic protests earlier but there was a strong undercurrent of dissent. This anger has suddenly erupted,” said Jayendra Tanna, president of Gujarat Traders’ Federation.
Hiren Gandhi, chairman of Food Committee of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), said, “The government’s only interest is to increase revenue disregarding the implications on trade. It is this attitude that has angered the traders.”
Markets at Relief Road and Gandhi Road as well as major centres for trade in the city were also closed in protest against levying of 28 per cent GST on electronics items. “The tax burden is extremely high. Tax administration is not in sync with ground realities. GST will result into inspector raj in a new avatar, which will increase corruption,” said Sunil Motwani, vice-president of Relief Road Electronics Association.
The Dry Fruits and Kirana Associations across Gujarat too observed total bandh. They are protesting the 12% on dry fruits. Hitesh Pariyani, chairman of Dry Fruits Association, and Lalit Shah, VC of Kirana Associations, said that while traders welcome the rollout of GST they are against the 12% GST. “After several attempts to reach out to authorities to reduce the rate, we feel our voice hasn’t been heard. Through this bandh, we want to draw the attention of authorities to how the livelihood of many would be affected,” said Pariyani.
Meanwhile, major markets in Rajkot, another leading centre for business in the state, also remained closed. These included Danapith market for kirana items, Dharmendra Road for textiles and APMC yard, said Samir Shah, president of Rajkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI). “The APMC is governed by BJP. But it had to remain close because of pressure from the small traders,” said Shah.
A similar scene was witnessed in Junagadh. “It seems that the government is using traders as pawns to suck taxes from the public. Narendra Modi, who opposed GST when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, is in a hurry to implement GST,” said Bhurabhai Desai, secretary of Junagadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). Bandh was also observed in Jetpur, Veraval and other trading centres.
Around 75,000 textile traders in Surat observed bandh against the Centre’s proposed 5 per cent levy on yarn and fabric under the new tax regime. Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) will organise a rally on Friday to plan the further course of action. Meanwhile, traders have threatened to go on indefinite strike if their demands are not fulfilled by the government.
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