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Textiles business hit by GST protests

Posted Date : 02-07-2017

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating.

From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, the protests have been widespread and brought manufacturing in these towns almost to a halt.

The latest organisations to throw their lot with the ongoing agitation were three major Ahmedabad textile markets—the Maskati Cloth Market Association, New Cloth Market and Panchkuva Cloth Market—who on Monday joined Surat merchants in demanding a rollback of the 5 per cent GST on fabric. They have decided to shut down their shops and establishments for an indefinite period.

“The 5 per cent GST on cloth is not acceptable to anyone who is in the textile business. To raise our voice against this tax, all textile markets in the city will go on indefinite strike from tomorrow, as traders will refrain from any kind of transaction,” a joint statement released by the three associations on Sunday said. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, the protests have been widespread and brought manufacturing in these towns almost to a halt.