Following the implementation of GST in India, many shopkeepers are glad because of the reduced rates of their products while many others including the sweet sellers of West Bengal are unhappy because of increased tax rates on their products. Many sweet shoppers in Bengal are claiming that the new GST has significantly increased the prices of their sweets. They have even announced a statewide strike against GST on August 21 during which the sweet shops in the state are expected to stay closed.
As per the new tax system, the GST rate on most sweets is 12 percent which has said to have increased the rates of some sweets. “Sweets like Sandesh and Rasgulla are being taxed at 5% GST rate but we want them tax-free as these Bengali sweets do not last very long. Our finance minister Amit Mishra also tried to get the GST rate on other sweets reduced from 12% to 5%,” said Rabindra Kumar Pal, a member of the West Bengal Sweet Sellers Association.
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The association and its members are going to present their demands for complete tax exemption on such sweets. There was reportedly a VAT on Bengali sweets in the left government reign as well which was later removed after protests from the sweet sellers in the state. In addition to a state-wide strike on 21st August, the association is also going to organize protests from August 24 to 26 against the new tax system.
“Buyers are not purchasing sweets as before, so we are forced to hold a strike in oppose to GST,” said Dheeman Das, a famous sweet seller in Kolkata. The association is confident that the government will listen to their demands to remove GST from Bengali sweets.
