Delegation of Chamber of Associations of Maharashtra Industry & Trade (CAMIT) led by Dipen Agrawal, President met Shri Jayant Patil, Hon’ble Finance Minister, Government of Maharashtra. The delegation submitted a memorandum highlighting issues of the business community to be addressed on a priority basis at the state level and GST issues to be addressed in the upcoming GST Council meeting.
Dipen Agrawal on behalf of the business community of the state said that the then state government in Financial Year 2015-16 abolished Local Body Tax (LBT) from the state, however, the ghost of LBT is still haunting business community.
The LBT department has resorted to unfair means of passing Best Judgement Orders with inflated demands. LBT officers are ruthlessly extorting money & harassing innocent traders on carb of assessment.
The revenue-expenditure ratio of the LBT department is negative and thus it would be a wise decision to close the LBT department in all Corporations at the earliest & permanent relief be granted to the business community from harassment & corruption of the LBT department, he added.
Dipen Agrawal also said that unorganized sector, the real employment giver to majority of citizens, is hard hit by the current slowdown in our economy coupled with diminishing rural demand and in such difficult time if the media reports of upward revision of GST slab rates comes true then it will further worsen the situation and may also reduce urban consumption (urban middle-income group) resulting in cascading negative effect on our economy.
Agrawal requested Finance Minister to impress upon GST Council to postpone the idea of GST Rate increase and Union Finance Minister to find alternate ways to fund state compensation and government spending.
The delegation also explained Shri Jayant Patil the adverse impact on trade and commerce of the state due to unilateral exorbitant increase in rent by municipal corporations, scandalous working of APMC Market Committee at majority locations.
Jayant Patil patiently heard the delegation. Realizing the hardship faced by the business community on various fronts assured to get a detailed report prepared on the issues raised in the memorandum and then jointly resolve them. Patil appreciated the inputs on GST submitted by CAMIT and assured his best to get the same addressed in the GST Council meeting.
At the outset, delegation congratulated him on becoming Finance Minister in Maha Vikas Aghadi government and felicitated him with shawl, shriphal and flower bouquet. Sanjay K. Agrawal, Ashok Ahuja, Dhiraj Maloo, and Laxman Mendare were part of the delegation. Dheraj Maloo expressed gratitude towards Jayant Patil on behalf of the trading community of state for his time and patient hearing.
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