| CCI-Jammu locks office of E&T, protest against hike in VAT, Toll Tax | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 2: To protest hike in the Value Added Tax (VAT) and Toll Tax announced in the state budget recently presented in the Legislative assembly, the members of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI-J) took out a massive protest rally and locked the office of Excise and Taxation here at Rail Head Complex to register resentment brewing among business community.
Amid sloganeering against the hike, the protesting members of CCI Jammu locked the office of Excise and Taxation Department ( In Commercial Tax Building). Thereafter the protestors took out a protest march which after passing through Sanjay Nagar, Shastri Nagar and Gandhi Nagar concluded at Chamber House, Jammu.
Later addressing gathering at the Chamber House, Rakesh Gupta, President, CCI-Jammu criticized state government for not taking the chamber and other organizations into confidence before passing the budget.
"Unlike previous practice, this government, did not hold pre budget discussions and business community from Kashmir and Jammu was kept in dark about the proposals for hike in VAT and Toll tax, he said adding, "this shows dictatorial stand of government and we will never allow this to happen."
Gupta said that the Chamber was never in favour of protests 'but the callous approach of state government towards business community has forced them to opt the path of agitations'.
Threatening further to intensify agitation, Gupta said Chamber will continue strike in case government did not rollback the hike in VAT and Toll Tax".
"If government did not come up with a decision to rollback the hike, Chamber will call for complete shutdown on June 4 and for the consequences only state government would be responsible", he added. |
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