As hotels and bars across Navi Mumbai pulled down their shutters on Monday in protest against steep hikes in taxes and fees, thousands of residents found themselves unexpectedly without their usual food options.
The shutdown, called by the Navi Mumbai Hotel Owners Association in coordination with the Maharashtra Permit Room and Bar Association, was a protest against the state's sharp increase in VAT, license fees, and excise duties.
The hike that triggered the protest includes a 100% increase in VAT, a 15% jump in license renewal fees, and a massive 60% spike in excise duty a combination that hoteliers say makes their businesses unsustainable. “These are not just figures on paper,” said Dayanand Shetty, president of the association. “This directly affects staff salaries, rents, and customers' pockets.”
Joining him in the protest were vice president Dr. Shiv Mudigere and several bar owners who say they are being forced to consider laying off employees if the state doesn’t roll back the hikes.
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If no response comes from the state government, hotel owners hinted that more such shutdowns would follow.
