Industrialists to protest against GST Dept raids, will push for OTS policy

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 3

Jalandhar-based industrial group ‘Khel Udyog Sangh’ is going to hold a protest against the state government on January 11. The agitators would be banging utensils in protest so that they can have their voices heard.

The protest would be called ‘Thali Bajao, Punjab Sarkar Jagaao’. City industrialists have repeatedly flagged the non-implementation of the one-time settlement (OTS) policy and raids by the GST Department. The group has expressed opposition to the anti-industrial policies introduced by the AAP government.

Hundreds of city traders and industrialists had earlier organised a candle march at Basti Nau to protest the government.

Industrialists from the city have been protesting frequent raids and non-implementation of the one-time settlement (OTS) scheme. The protesters were seen holding placards that read, ‘GST chaapemaari band kro’ and ‘VAT cases te OTS scheme laagu kro’.

The members said that before coming to power, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had said that there would be a progressive environment for the industry, but that the situation now is completely different. “He had vowed to end the ‘inspector raj’, but the industrialists are still being harassed,” one of them alleged.

This comes as several meetings between the group members and ministers turned out to be unfruitful.

The decision to begin protests against the government was taken when nothing happened even after meeting several leaders and ministers, the members said.

The Sangh members had also met with Finance Taxation Commissioner Ajoy Sharma and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. The industrialists had also demanded the implementation of the OTS policy.

The OTS policy was implemented in the year 2013-2014, and the traders have been demanding the inclusion of cases dating back till 2018 in the scheme. The traders rued that the issue has only been deteriorating as they couldn’t deal with the cumbersome procedure of the tax.

Ravinder Dhir, a senior member of the Sangh shared that he told the taxation commissioner during his meet that he was 16 when he got into the business. “Around 43 years have passed and in all those years, I had never experienced anything like this before. Raids and inspections never happened like these days.” he had earlier shared.

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