The Federation of Tamilnadu Merchants Associations has appealed to the State government to give representation for traders in the Legislative Council to be formed in the State.
A resolution to this effect was adopted at a Traders' Day meeting organised by the federation here on Wednesday.
C. Periasami, president of the federation, said representation would help them to voice their grievances effectively.
By another resolution, the meeting urged the State government and local bodies in the State to issue all government communication in Tamil. The resolution said though there was a government order to this effect it had not been followed by many departments. The federation wanted all corporations and municipalities to organise pre-budget meetings with local traders to know the demands of the trade.
Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan said traders played a vital in society as they acted as a link between the people and government. Listing out various concessions and incentives offered by the State government, he said the DMK considered merchants as people with social responsibility and not as profit-makers.
Minister for Commercial Taxes S.N.M. Ubayadullah said it was during the previous DMK regimes that many commodities were brought under the single-point tax system from multi-point tax.
Mayor M. Subramanian thanked the traders for immediately effecting the Corporation order on name boards of shops in Tamil.
