India International Trade Fair: Facing hefty fine, stall owners from Pak, Bangla leave for home

The India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) — the managing body of all traders participating in the fair — had Friday refused to let some of them leave and denied them gate passes. The ITPO had claimed that the Delhi government’s trade and taxes department had slapped a Rs 55 lakh fine on them as well.
All Bangladeshi traders, who were issued notices, have left without paying the penalty, said Commercial Counsellor for Bangladesh Nahid Rashid.
“But all the traders paid their VAT, which was decided upon in a joint meeting with the Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh, the taxes department and the ITPO. All these traders have been participating in the fair since a long time, but there has never been a problem in the payment of VAT and other commercial taxes. This is the first time they forced the e-registration clause for payment of taxes,” she said.

Refuting the ITPO’s claim — that all foreign traders had been told that e-registration was mandatory — she said that the organisation had not informed them about the clause.

Meanwhile, the trade and taxes department has not received the fine amount from either the traders or the ITPO.

“We waited till midnight at Pragati Maidan, but ITPO officials did not pay the fine. Even the traders didn’t appeal against the penalty imposed on them,” said an official from the department.

An ITPO official had earlier claimed that unless the traders paid the penalty, they would not be issued exit passes and would be forced to leave their goods behind. However, the site of the trade fair had been largely vacated by Saturday evening.

“The traders seem to have gone back home.. . but the ITPO may file an appeal. The matter remains unresolved…once the appeal is filed, it will take anywhere between 6 to 12 months to get resolved,” said an official of the trade and taxes department.

He added that the department had no plans of “cancelling the fines”.