The UP Udyog Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal,an umbrella body of traders associations across the state,is going to launch a month-long agitation from July 1 against the additional tax imposed by the state government from June 1 on various items sold or purchased in the state. Traders will also protest against the dismal power situation in the state. Traders plan to stage demonstrations and give memorandums to ministers and Members of Parliament stressing their demands. On Sunday,the associations state president Shyam Bihari Mishra said,The Uttar Pradesh government has imposed an additional tax of one per cent on items that are under the ambit of the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate of 12.5 per cent. It is 0.5 per cent for items which are under ambit of 4 per cent VAT. Mishra said that traders,especially those dealing with consumer goods and processed foods,have no other option except pass the burden of the tax to consumers. This rise in the price of consumer goods will affect the daily lives of consumers and the business of traders, Mishra said. Madhya Pradesh,Delhi,Rajasthan and Uttarakhand buy edible items,leather goods and construction material from UP. After the rise in the price due to additional tax,these states will avoid buying industrial and processed food items from us,Mishra said. The state government has spent over Rs 4,000 crore on statues and memorials. To improve the states fiscal health just by Rs 1200 crore,the government has decided to impose tax on commodities, Mishra said. Association general secretary Arun Agrawal said that power crisis was affecting the business of wholesale traders. In wholesale markets like Aminabad and Aiyyaganj in Lucknow,traders are not able use power generators due to lack of space and that is affecting preservation of edible items and medicines, Agrawal said. He said that the power crisis is going to affect business by a minimum of 20 per cent this summer. Traders also expressed concern over the rise in crime against members of their fraternity. Cases of kidnapping,robbery and extortion were on the rise,they pointed out. There are over 80,000 applications from traders for arms licenses pending in various districts but the government is not issuing them. The government should at least beef up security in the markets to protect traders, Agarwal said. To protest against the additional tax,power crisis and atrocities against traders,the association will submit a memorandum to all ministers concerned and hold demonstrations on July 1. They will submit a memorandum to the Governor on July 9,stage peaceful demonstrations in their districts on July 15 and submit memorandums to MPs and MLAs in all constituencies on July 25. They traders will also take out a torch procession on August 1 and stage a dharna at all district headquarters on August 2.
