Goyal hears Rajasthan traders' grievances on GST, promises resolution
Jaipur, July 14 : Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday took feedback from Rajasthan's business community on GST and assured that their complaints and suggestions would be be presented in front of the GST Council.
"Our government understands the needs of traders and has empathy with their problems," he said a meeting with representatives of different trading and industrial units.
Goyal said that GST has helped the business community of India to be associated with the most honest and transparent tax system, and the way traders have adopted the system is quite admirable.
On this occasion, Om Prakash Mittal, who heads Laghu Udyog Bharati, said that 18 per cent GST on job work is too high and should be reduced.
CREDAI chairman Gopal Gupta said that consumers are unable to buy homes due to imposition of 19 per cent tax. New projects are stagnant and no new schemes have been coming to boost the projects.
The representatives of jewellery community complained that smuggling of gold and silver has increased with the implementation of GST while the marble stone traders said that mafia is dominating trade after GST implementation.
The sculptors raised a demand for revoking GST on idols of gods and goddesses while those engaged in heritage hotel industries also sought that the tax should not apply to them.
Goyal said that the GST Council, from time to time, has been making changes in the system after taking feedback from the trading communities at regular intervals. Working on their suggestions, GST rates have been slashed for around 25 per cent commodities which have benefited traders as well as the consumer, he added.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who was also present, said that the problems of the trading community were presented strongly in front of the GST Council and eventually, the changes brought in by it have benefited the state's trade and industries.
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Bengal: Over 55 pc turnout till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of 2 assembly seats
Kolkata (PTI): Over 55 per cent turnout was recorded till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of two assembly constituencies in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, an official said.
Voting was underway more or less peacefully at 11 polling stations of Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour, where the EC ordered repoll a day ago, following reports of electoral malpractices.
However, at booth number 179 at Chanda Primary School of Diamond Harbour seat, the Trinamool Congress alleged that a specially abled voter and his mother were harassed by central forces. The alleged incident sparked protests by party workers and locals.
The TMC claimed that the voter's mother, who had entered the booth to assist him, and her son were detained for a considerable time by central forces over alleged rule violations.
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"TMC leaders Manmohini Biswas and Pratik Ur Rahman reached the spot and led the protests, with residents terming the action unwarranted harassment. The matter has been taken care of by our officials there," an official of the poll body said.
Polling was otherwise peaceful across 15 booths in the area, he added.
Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding that till 1 pm, the turnout was 55.57 per cent.
Magrahat Paschim registered 56.33 per cent voter turnout, while in Diamond Harbour, it was 54.9 per cent, a poll official stated.
Voting in these two assembly constituencies was held in the second phase of the state elections on April 29.
The repoll order was based on reports received from returning officers and observers of the two constituencies and "material circumstances", the Election Commission official said.
In Magrahat Paschim, TMC's Md Samim Ahamed Molla is pitted against BJP nominee Goursundar Ghosh, while Abdul Majid Halder of the Congress and ISF candidate Abdul Aziz Al Hassan are also in the fray.
TMC candidate Panna Lal Halder is contesting against Dipak Kumar Halder of the BJP in the Diamond Harbour seat. Goutam Bhattacharya of the Congress and CPI(M)'s Samar Naiya are among other candidates.
The BJP had alleged rampant electoral malpractices in certain polling stations of both the assembly seats under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The EC had deputed its special observer, Subrata Gupta, to fact-check the allegations from the ground.
The poll panel will decide on repolling in the Falta assembly constituency on Saturday.
The West Bengal assembly elections were held in two phases -- April 23 and April 29 -- amid unprecedented security arrangements.
Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
