Traders' bodies divided on call for Bharat bandh demanding review of GST provisions

Traders' bodies were divided onthe Bharat bandh call on February 26 against provisions of theGoods and Services Tax (GST) as a national-level organisationof small businessmen on Friday said it is opposed to the move.

A traders' body of West Bengal also said that it isnot supporting the bandh call.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) onThursday said all commercial markets across the country willremain closed on February 26 in view of its Bharat bandh calldemanding a review of the provisions of the GST regime.

Jayendra Tanna, national president of Federation ofAll India Vyapar Mandal (FAIVM), said, ''We are against anykind of Bharat bandh or shop bandh or Chakka Jam.'' CAIT Secretary-General Praveen Khandelwal on Thursdaysaid in New Delhi that the All India Transporters WelfareAssociation supports the Bharat Bandh call and will hold aChakka Jam on February 26.

The FAIVM said it is engaged with around 4 croretraders across 400 districts of the country for a new GST lawcampaign in consultation with all stakeholders.

''We will submit a memorandum to the central governmenton February 22 with a request from traders and retailers torewrite the entire GST law which should be simple, user-friendly and easy to understand to implement and comply by allsections of traders and retailers,'' FAIVM secretary V K Bansalsaid.

The Confederation of West Bengal Traders Associationspresident Sushil Poddar also said that it is not supportingthe bandh call and will remain operational on February 26.

The CAIT said dharnas (protests) will be heldnationwide in 1,500 places demanding the Centre, stategovernments and the GST Council to keep in abeyance the''draconian'' provisions of GST.

Khandelwal said that almost 950 amendments have beenmade so far to GST rules in the past four years and issuesrelated to glitches in the GST portal and the continuousincrease in compliance burden are the major lacunae in the taxregime.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)