DELHI TRADERS TO OBSERVE DELHI TRADE BANDH ON 31st MAY
TRADERS TO LAUNCH CITYWIDE AGITATION AGAINST VAT DEPARTMENT
To protest against recently introduced Form DS-1, Mandatory item code in bills and VAT refund by VAT Department of Delhi Government, the trading community of Delhi will observe a Delhi Trade Bandh on 31st May and will launch a massive citywide agitation against autocratic attitude and working of VAT Department of Delhi. For this purpose, the trade leaders have formed a Traders Action Committee. This decision was taken at a meeting of Trade Leaders of Delhi held today at Steel Chamber, Chawri Bazar in walled city area which was chaired by Shri Rajendra Gupta, President, Delhi Steel, Tools & Hardware Traders Association. Trade leaders from more than 100 trade associations from different parts of Delhi participated in the meeting. Mr. Kailash Gupta was nominated as president of the Action Committee.
In a unanimous resolution adopted at the meeting, the traders have firmly said that they will not accept form DS-1 at any cost and has demanded Delhi Government to withdraw the form immediately. They regretted that the VAT Department is treating the traders as slaves and taking unilateral decisions which will damage the trade and commerce of Delhi to a great extent.
As per the notification issued by the Department every trader is liable to give 17 information in a prescribed format for each invoice which will load manifold work load on the traders. The traders are liable to provide G/R No, Vehicle number which is not possible at all since most of the loading of material by the Transporters are done in the night whereas the material is dispatched during working hours. No Transporter can give G/R No. in advance, the how can a trader be able to provide such information prior to sending goods outside Delhi. Providing vehicle number by the transport is almost impossible since even the transport does not know by which vehicle the goods will be transported.
Since the beginning of Kejriwal rule in Delhi, the traders have been made scapegoat under the garb of raising revenue. Earlier introduction of DS-2 Form for goods entering into Delhi, regular visits of VAT officials in different markets, making mandatory use of Item code in each invoice introduced recently though Department has not prepared codes for all sorts of goods, blockage of capital of traders as Department is not giving refunds and many other issues have made the life of traders in Delhi miserable much against the claims of Chief Minister of ease in doing business in Delhi. Moreover neither the Chief Minister and nor the Deputy Chief Minister is meeting any Trade Association except its trade wing of their own party. All poll promises of the Government regarding traders have proved to be hollow claims. To take stock of the present situation in VAT and to decide future course of action, the CAIT is convening a meeting of Trade Leaders of Delhi and a movement is scheduled to be launched against the Government by the Traders.
