Hundreds of handloom and handicraft manufacturers, with support of consumers, activist and eminent artistes, have come together to oppose imposition of Goods and Service Tax (GST) on a range of khadi items as well as those made from coir, grass and jute.
To voice their protest, the Graama Seva Sangha (GSS) will be organising a ‘Tax Denial Satyagraha’ on September 7 at Town Hall in Bengaluru. Over 2,000 people are expected to participate, according to theatre artist Prasanna, who heads the cooperative Charaka, which produces 30,000 metres of naturally dyed handloom fabric every month. “Filmmaker M.S. Sathyu, Gandhian H.S. Doreswamy, former DGP Ajay Kumar Singh (retd) will be part of the movement. We will sing with M.D. Pallavi, hold a street play, eat natural food and sell handmade products without GST,” he said.
In a letter written by the All India Federation of Handloom Organisations, a zero-tax on handmade products and khadi was demanded. “We are taking the issue forward with this satyagraha,” said Abhilash, convener, GSS. The satyagraha will be held in other parts of the country too, including Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, from September 11 to 24.
Stating that only the Gandhi topi is exempted from GST, Mr. Prasanna said all other khadi products are taxed between 5% and 15%. “Tax that was levied on handloom mill yarn was actually paid back to the weaver, but all that is removed now with the 5% input tax.”
B. Syama Sundari, who works with Dastkar Andhra, which provides policy and advocacy support, said, “Two years ago, the Prime Minister declared August 7 as World Handloom Day when a symbolic tribute is paid to the ‘idea’ of handlooms by organising a handloom walk and conducting State-sponsored exhibitions. But the onslaught of GST on handmade goods has to be observed as a national day of mourning.”
Ramappa from Mandya, whose family has three handcrafted coconut coir mat units, is still coming to terms with GST. The cost of raw material has gone up considerably, he says.
Other craftsmen share his view.
“This is going to increase the final product price and also place natural fibre, handmade product in direct competition with a man-made, synthetic, power-loom product,” said Ms. Sundari. “There is an imminent threat to the livelihoods of thousands of handloom weavers.”
Loka Vidya Vedhike’s J. K. Suresh, who is working towards emancipation of villagers through education, is equally unhappy. “After Salt Satyagraha, this is another inhuman tax on products made by the poor and the marginalised,”’ he said.
Other protests
* Tax-denial Satyagraha in Hyderabad on September 9
* The Graama Seeva Sangha will organise a 120-km padayatra on September 24 from Junjappana Gudde in Tumakuru district and reach Kasturba Gandhi Ashram at Arisikere on Gandhi Jayanthi (October 2).
