Opposing the e-payment system in select Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) and demanding uniform APMC cess across the country, APMC merchants began an indefinite strike across the State from Saturday. In response to the call for a State-wide indefinite bandh to press for the fulfilment of their demands, the traders have decided not to participate in auction at the APMC yards across the State.
In Hubballi, starting with the Karnatak Chamber of Commercerce and Industry (KCCI), members of various merchants and traders’ associations took out a protest march.
Led by the office-bearers of KCCI and Merchants’ Association, the protesters took out the march on the thoroughfares of the city before reaching the Hubballi tahsildar’s office.
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Addressing protesters, the office-bearers said that there was disparity in the implemenation of the e-payment system and said that there was no need for Rashtriya E-Market Services (REMS).
The merchants also demanded a uniform cess policy across the country just like the ‘one nation one tax’ (GST) pattern.
They pointed out that the APMC cess rates differed in different States ranging between 0.8%, 0.9%, 0.75% and 1%. In Karnataka, the cess was 1.5% and it should be made uniform, they demanded.
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The protesters then submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister to the taluk officials.
The former KCCI president Shankranna Munavalli, KCCI president Ramesh Patil, president of Merchants’ Association Gangnagouda Patil, and other office-bearers, including Basavaraj Yaklaspur, Jagadishgouda Patil, Siddheshwar Kammar and others, led the protest.
The merchants stopped participating in the auction from July 27 at Hubballi APMC and on Saturday Dharwad APMC too witnessed a shutdown in response to the call for indefinite strike.
The merchants have clarified that unless their demands were met, they would not participate in auction at APMC yards.