The Hindu : New Delhi News : Traders' meeting sought

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 12, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Traders' meeting sought

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 . The Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president, Harsh Vardhan, today asked the Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, and the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, to immediately convene a meeting of traders and business chambers to seek their opinion on introduction of the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) in the Capital from April 1 next year.

In a statement here, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that traders were opposing implementation of the VAT and sought its review in light of the reservations expressed by the business community. He said the State Government cannot impose VAT in an arbitrary manner and reminded the Sheila Dikshit Government that it had opposed the implementation of VAT last year when the NDA Government was in power at the Centre. The Delhi Chief Minister had at that point of time opposed VAT and termed it as an anti-trader policy that the Delhi Government would not implement. What has happened to the promise to oppose VAT, he asked?

Stating that it was important to settle the doubts expressed by traders, the BJP leader said that during various interactions with traders, they had wanted imposition of additional excise instead of VAT in the Capital. The Delhi Government as well as the Centre should give a serious thought to this proposal as any kind of adverse decision would only affect the revenue flow into the Government coffers.

He said a joint committee of Government and traders should be formed to study the issue of VAT and its implementation and only after that a decision should be taken.

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