GST raids raised by traders during 'Karobari milni'

A meeting of the Khel Udyog Sangh Punjab Sangharsh Samiti was held today under the title 'Karobari milni'. The meeting focused on the current business environment, especially the challenges being faced by traders and manufacturers in the state.

Prominent business leader Ravinder Dhir raised serious concerns regarding the ongoing series of GST raids in the city and discussed strategies to oppose these actions. He said although Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat and his associates have assured them that they will soon raise this issue with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, urgent resolution is still awaited.

"Bhagat has reportedly instructed senior local GST officials to put a hold on the raids and has assured the Traders' Forum that the matter will be resolved," the traders said in a meeting.

Additionally, it was announced that if any trader faces difficulty, they may immediately contact the Khel Udyog Sangh Punjab helpline number for support.

Dhir also appealed to the business community to stay united during these testing times. He reminded that the Aam Aadmi Party had promised to end the “Inspector Raj” in the state, but, contrary to that promise, traders are being excessively harassed by officials from various departments. This is making it increasingly difficult to run businesses smoothly in Punjab.

The meeting also addressed several other issues, including the demand for the prompt announcement of the One-Time Settlement Scheme for the financial year 2017-18. Traders also requested amendments to the recently passed Punjab State Development Tax in the Assembly, specifically seeking relief on backdated tax payments. They highlighted that expecting businesses to pay taxes for the past 7–8 years is impractical, especially when neither the previous government collected them, nor has the current government taken steps to resolve this.