Aurangabad, July 8:
The recent decision of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) council to impose 5 per cent GST on non-branded and pre-packed labeled foodgrains and other food items puts financial burden on the general public. The decision to oppose this move was taken by the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA), the apex body for trade and industry, said Lalit Gandhi, chamber president.
In a statement, Gandhi said while implementing the GST tax system, the Central government in 2017 had clearly mentioned not to impose GST on food grains. Later. GST was imposed on branded cereals and food items and now the decision to impose 5 per cent GST on non-branded cereals and food items is very unjust.
Already the common man is fed up with inflation. The 5 per cent GST would be a blow to the common man. Along with the foodgrains, taxes will be levied on food items like curd, paneer, buttermilk, puffed rice, jaggery and papads. At the same time, small traders will go bankrupt and only big branded companies will grow their business. The decision has been strongly opposed by MACCIA. We will register our opposition with the union Finance Minister and GST council.