Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The footwear traders in the state capital downed their shutters and took to streets on Wednesday to protest against rise in GST on shoes from 5% to 12%.
The traders have urged the government to keep the tax rate at 5% and reverse the decision of increasing it to 12%.
A representative delegation of the traders met state finance minister Jagdish Devda on Wednesday and urged him to reverse the decision on GST hike, just like the government did on garments. The delegation that met Devda was led by BJP spokesperson Durgesh Keswani.
The traders took out march from Hamidia Road to protest against the decision to increase GST on footwear, which is a daily-use item and not a luxury.
A member of footwear tradersí association, Rajkumar Mangtani, said, We have been facing brunt of inflation since pandemic started. Common man is frustrated due to inflation. Imposing extra taxes on something as important as footwear will lead to greater downfall in business and economy.
'The corona-induced lockdown hampered business and afflicted the financial conditions of people. So, the sale will naturally decline in view of hiked GST, they added.
