The traders’ associations met Union minster and NCP president Sharad Pawar on Sunday and urged him to intervene to resolve the stand-off between them and the state government over Local Body Tax (LBT).
“We explained to him that the shopkeepers have been unnecessarily asked to register to file returns even if they buy goods in the city limits only,” said Viren Shah, president of Federation of Retail Traders’ Welfare Association (FRTWA).
He added that the traders are ready to pay tax but they refuse to go for another registration and additional assessing authority. “He has assured us that the issue would be resolved in a meeting on May 24 which will be attended by the chief minister and other government officials,” said Shah.
He added that we suggested that the assessment can be done by the sale tax department. “Because, many complaints have been registered in this regard in many municipal corporations since they are not experienced enough to do proper assessment,”said Shah.
Meanwhile, the Food and Civil Supplies department of state government has issued notices on Friday to over 100 traders under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) asking to give reply within three days threatening to cancel registration. “We have given them our reply and seeking an hearing before they take any call,” said Mohan Gurnani, president of the Federation of Associations of Maharashtra (FAM), who also received the notice.
The FAM office-bearers also met Pawar on Sunday. “We have explained him in detail about the issues over the LBT and about our strike for the past 27 days. He has agreed to our issues, assuring us that it will be looked into soon,” said Vinesh Mehta, treasurer of FAM.
Thane traders suspend strike
Thane traders’ community on Sunday decided to suspend the on-going strike against the Local Body Tax till May 24.
A delegation of local traders met NCP chief Sharad Pawar on the issue. Following the meeting, it was decided to suspend the agitation for a while, said Kamlesh Shrishrimal, president of jewellers’ association.
The new tax and its loopholes
LBT is an account-based tax, and will be charged for every raw-material used or imported into the city limits by all businesses, traders and manufacturers. It seeks to replace octroi, which causes bottlenecks in goods flow.
It was introduced in Kolhapur, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Vasai-Virar from April 1. It will come into effect in Mumbai from October.
Traders are up in the arms against the new tax, fearing cumbersome account-keeping process and potential official harassment.
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