Protests would be launched nationwide on July 26, starting in Bhopal
\n NEW DELHI
\nIndian traders and shopkeepers will hold a nationwide protest next week against a hike in taxes on a range of products and services, including food grains and household items, that went into effect on Monday, a top official of a leading traders\u2019 group said.
\n\u201cThe 5% tax on a range of food products\u2013which remained tax free so far\u2013and hike in rates on other household items has increased the inflation burden on the public and traders,\u201d said Pravin Khandelwal, president of the Confederation of All India Traders, which represents more than 10 million small shopkeepers and wholesalers.
\nHe said the group\u2019s members would launch a nationwide series of protest meetings on July 26, starting in Bhopal, a state capital in central India and a stronghold of Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
\nSmall traders and shopkeepers are a key constituency for Modi, who introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system in 2017 to replace about 20 federal and state taxes and to help unify Asia\u2019s third-largest economy.
\nA tax increase was approved last month to 18% from 12% for certain goods and services, including kitchenware.
\nA finance ministry statement on Monday said the tax measures would include extending a 5% tax already imposed on branded food items such as rice, wheat, flour, pulses and dairy products to unbranded items sold in packages of up to 25 kilograms or 25 litres.
\nAnalysts have said that higher taxes would put an additional burden on households that already face surging food and energy prices.
\nIndia\u2019s consumer price inflation hit an eight-year high of 7.79% in April and remained above 7% in May and June.
\nWhile traders have said Modi\u2019s GST was an improvement over the previous complicated tax regime, they have also raised objections to some elements, such as the compliance burden for small retailers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Protests would be launched nationwide on July 26, starting in Bhopal NEW DELHI Indian traders and shopkeepers will hold a nationwide protest next week against a hike in taxes on a range of products and services, including food grains and household items, that went into effect on Monday, a top official of a leading traders\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272141,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-272118","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n