Legal Metrology Department authorities initiated action against those traders and business establisments collecting higher prices from consumers in the name of Goods and Services Tax (GST) after a spate of complaints from the consumers across the State.
Civil Supplies Commissioner C.V. Anand said that the legal metrology officers conducted special raids on Friday and Saturday and registered 357 cases. Raids were conducted on several malls, hotels, bakeries, multiplexes, bar and restaurants based on complaints that GST was being collected over and above the Maximum Retail Price, levying GST even on goods that did not come under the purview of GST.
Some of the business establishments against which cases were registered include Big Bazar, More, Ratnadeep, Hyper Market, Sitara Grand Hotel, Amaravati Hotel, Santosh Dhaba, Chillis, Inox Kachiguda, Imax Khairatabad, VRK Silk showroom etc.
For instance, a consumer made a complaint on the Corporation’s WhatsApp number that the Akshay Bar and Restaurant in Siddipet collected GST in addition to the MRP on water bottles. The concerned district officers were alerted and the officers raided the premises immediately, registered a case and imposed a penalty of ₹ 25,000.
Imposing GST on goods that were not under its purview, collecting GST in addition to MRP, collecting higher prices though the trader has no GST number, violation of GST norms were some of the issues that came into the notice of Legal Metrology Departments during its raids, Mr.Anand said in a statement.
