Traders demand ‘One Nation, One Tax’ to be implemented in letter and spirit


Trade leaders demanded that the government should take necessary steps to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much-touted slogan of ‘One Nation, One Tax’ is implemented properly. They raised this demand after the conclusion of the National Conference of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) that took place in Ahmedabad.
The CAIT feels that the GST has been diluted due to the haphazard implementation of the Electronic Way Bill. The National President of CAIT, BC Bharatia, said in an interview that the deviations from the original plan occurred due to the way different states implemented the e-Way Bill (especially the intra-state e-Way Bill).
The inter-state e Way Bill was introduced on the 1st of April for the entire country. On the other hand, the intra-state Bill was implemented in phases from the 15th of April and finally concluded on the 3rd of June. The e Way Bill system requires a trader, supplier or transporter of goods to generate Digital e-Way Bill for the transportation of goods worth more than Rs 50,000 (whether the transportation happens inter-state or intra-state).
However, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, two states that implemented the intra-state system last, have diluted the provision and increased the exemption limit to Rs 1,00,000. This means that for the transportation of goods within their respective states, no Electronic Way Bill is required for ferrying goods up to Rs 1,00,000. They have also provided concessions to specific items as well. Some other states like Bihar have also come up with their own provisions.
Referring to these, Bharatia said,
“Some states have exempted intra-district transport of goods from e-Way Bill, some have exempted goods worth Rs 50,000 from e-Way Bill, while some have maintained the threshold limit of Rs 1 lakh. Confused traders are often penalised since laws are different. We want uniformity.”
Request for amnesty
According to him, the government should also announce an amnesty scheme for those who make some mistakes while filing tax returns as the first anniversary of the GST implementation is approaching. He said,
“The law is new for everyone. There were many teething troubles. If there are some anomalies, the government should waive off late fees, interest and penalty and the traders will only have to pay the due tax. This way the government would be able to increase level of compliance.”
Another demand that is emanating from CAIT is that the government should reduce the number of tax slabs so that the common man on the streets do not get burdened. The organization plans to submit a form of a memorandum to the central government that will outline whatever they discussed in the two-day conference.
Persisting problems
Bharatia agreed that small traders are still suffering as a result of government initiatives like GST and demonetization and also due to the overall economic situation in the country.
Bharatia concluded by saying,
“In spite of a legal provision, big companies are not paying small companies on time. Even government departments are not paying on time. Banks have also reduced lending because if rising bad loans. Infrastructure projects are not so labour intensive. So, money is not reaching to people at lower and middle of the pyramid. As the trade is undergoing a paradigm shift, traditional businesses have taken a severe hit. Under such circumstances, we want the government to come to the aid of small players.”

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