LBT impasse: Pawar assures traders of meeting with CM

While wholesale traders have been on strike for the past 27 days,retailers had downed their shutters during the first six days of the stir. After the meeting with Pawar,some wholesalers in Thane also opened their shops Sunday.

Viren Shah,president,Federation of Retail Traders’ Welfare Association,said,“Pawar said he was aware that traders do not want to evade paying tax,but they do not want harassment and extra paperwork,which the LBT regime will bring,” said Shah.

While traders have agreed to account-based taxation,they want the assessment to be carried out by sales tax office instead of by municipal corporations,arguing that BMC does not have the technical know-how to assess tax values. Instead of LBT,they are demanding a surcharge on VAT or creation of another tax that is collected by the sales tax office.

Meanwhile,after two failed meetings with chief secretary J K Banthia,FAM will have another meeting with him Monday. “We are hopeful of a positive outcome this time,” said Mehta. Banthia heads the recently constituted 15-member committee to discuss issues raised by traders and recommend amendments to the proposed tax reform.