The announcement of the ‘Bharat Vyapar Bandh’ on 26 February against the distorted nature of the GST tax system by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) is gaining widespread support from across the country. Over 40,000 trade organizations across the country connected to CAIT have began a nationwide awakening program among trading community about complicated provisions of current GST. ‘Bharat Vyapar Bandh’ has rallied to unprecedented success. CAIT demands that as it has been four years since the GST tax system has been implemented and the government and traders have experienced all the merit & demerits of GST on the basis of which it is important that the GST system is once again re-reviewed and simplified, in order to the reduce the burden of compliance on traders, on the other hand, it should also be ensured that the tax net of GST should be expanded and the revenue of both Central and State Governments should also increase.
CAIT’s three day national business conference is going on at Nagpur from 8 February, and today is the last day. More than 200 trade leaders from all States and Union Territories are participating in the conference . The trade leaders also resolved to remove the distortions, inconsistencies and inequalities in the GST and e-commerce in the country.
CAIT National President B. C. Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that the ‘Bharat Vyapar Bandh’ announce by CAIT on February 26 is getting wide support from all over India. The All India Transport Welfare Association (ATWA), the largest organization in the transport sector of the country, has announced chakka jam throughout the country on this day, supporting the Bharat Vyapar Bandh. AITWA has also called for transporters Chakka Jam of Transporters.
The All India FMCG Distributors Association, an association of over 4 lakh distributors and more than 90 retailers in the country, has also announced their support for the vyapar bandh. The All India Jewellers and Goldsmith Federation, the country’s jewellery trade organization, the Federation of All India Aluminum Utensils Manufacturers have also supported the bandh. Meetings of trade organizations have started in many states to make ‘Bharat Vyapar Bandh’ successful.
Bhartia and Khandelwal said that on February 16, the District Collectors of all the districts across the country will be given a memorandum by the local trade organization addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to simplify the GST tax system, on the other hand, from February 14 to February 25, the trade associations across country will organize Traders March in their local markets . Memorandum will be submitted to Chief Ministers, Finance Ministers, and other concerned people of all States in the country.
Bhartia & Khandelwal said that CAIT will also make all out efforts to reach out to National and State level organisation Tax Practitioners, Chartered Accountants, Tax Advisors, Company Secretaries, small scale industries, petrol pumps, direct selling, women’s organizations, consumers, hawkers, film industries, food processing, mobile industries, various service providers to seek their support Bharat Vyapar Bandh . Online vendors and all National and State level organizations related to economy and trade will also be contacted and will be included in the bandh. An extensive public awareness campaign will be launched across the country about the Bharat Vyapar Bandh using social media and other communication tools. Bhartia and Khandelwal said that not only traders but all sections of business related to the country are badly disturbed. Traders have been burdened with unnecessary taxation provisions and the authorities have been given arbitrary powers, the GST portal is not functioning properly, traders are being punished heavily even for small mistake. Overall GST has become very complex and if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a 5 trillion economy by the year 2024, then simplification of GST is very important.
