Thursday, Mar 31, 2005
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By Our Special Correspondent
NAY TO VAT: Traders protesting against the proposed implementation of VAT from April 1 in Amritsar on Wednesday.
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30. The three-day countrywide strike called by trade associations against the implementation of the new Value Added Tax (VAT) regime from April 1 evoked a "mixed" response on the first day today. While the wholesale and other major commodity markets remained closed, it was business as usual for the local retail shopkeepers in most of the major cities. In the four major metros, for instance, despite the joint strike call by the apex trade associations such as the Confederation of All-India Traders (CAIT), the Bharat Udyog Vyapar Mandal and the Akhil Bharatiya Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal, only the wholesale commodity and bullion markets downed shutters. The retail markets largely remained unaffected. In the northern region, barring Jammu & Kashmir, groceries, provision stores, bakeries and chemists, in particular, had a normal day of business. However, petrol pumps throughout Delhi (except over a dozen company-owned vends) and other adjoining States remained closed (only for a day) in protest against the proposed hike in the price of diesel as a fall-out of VAT implementation. The LPG dealers, it is learnt, may also be joining the strike for a day tomorrow.
`Open for talks'
The West Bengal Finance Minister and Chairman of the Empowered Committee on VAT, Asim Dasgupta, sought to keep the channels open for further negotiations with the trade associations. Asking them to call off the strike, he said the State Government was "open to further discussions". Speaking to newspersons in Kolkata, Mr. Dasgupta reiterated that while foodgrains, vegetables and sweets were outside the purview of VAT, medicines too, would be liable for tax at a very low rate. Any post-VAT rise in the prices of essential commodities was also unlikely, he said. As of now, Finance Ministers of 21 States have given their commitment to Mr. Dasgupta to implement the new tax regime from April 1. The number would have been more, but for the five BJP-ruled States — Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand — backing out at the last minute. Apart from these, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu had also decided earlier to stay out of VAT for the time being. Uttar Pradesh, for one, has made it clear that the new tax regime would be implemented only if the traders in the State gave their consent. Interestingly, the traders' strike today, according to reports, was largely successful only in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir. It was partial in Assam, Orissa and Punjab while the response was mixed in States such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. In Karnataka and Tripura, the traders are set to go on strike tomorrow. With the exception of Jharkhand, the other four BJP-ruled States remained largely unaffected by the strike call, mainly because VAT is not an issue in these States as yet. Traders in States such as Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya have decided to stay out of the agitation. The situation is similar in Haryana, though for a different reason, in that VAT is already functional in that State and trading activity is going on smoothly. The CAIT, meanwhile, has claimed that traders affiliated to over 5,000 federations and chambers throughout the country observed a bandh against the implementation of VAT and the levy of service tax of goods transport on the trading community. In this regard, the traders' confederation has sought an appointment with the President to present a petition to him.
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