With the State Government showing no interest in exempting value added tax (VAT) on pulses, wheat and wheat products, the traders again on Wednesday threatened to stop import and sale of these items from April 9.
The traders under the banner of the Odisha Byabasayee Mahasangha protesting against the Government inaction in implementing its own assurance on withdrawal of VAT decided to stop import and sale of these products for an indefinite period until the VAT is exempted.
“We have been demanding exemption of VAT on the commodities as is the case in majority of the States in the country. To put pressure on the Government we had decided to stop import and sale of pulse, wheat and wheat products from December 9 last year. But the Government assured us to look into our issues and urged us to call off the agitation for three months,” Mahasangha general secretary Sudhakar Panda told mediapersons here.
Panda said that though a three-month deadline has already elapsed, the Government has no response with regard to its VAT exemption assurance. “So, finding no alternative, we have decided to stop import of pulses, wheat and wheat products from outside the State from April 9 indefinitely unless the Government agrees to our demand,” warned Panda.