Arun Jaitley assures traders in Surat’s textile industry that the government will look into their concerns regarding GST
Finance minister Arun Jaitley said the textile industry in Surat is ‘very positive about government’s economic policies and supports GST’. Photo: PTI
Surat: Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday met representatives of Surat’s textile industry and assured them that the government will look into their concerns, a move that came just days ahead of Gujarat elections in December.
Surat textiles industry body made representation before Jaitley seeking ease in procedures related to goods and services tax (GST). Both the association and Jaitley said that the meeting was positive.
The finance minister, who was in Surat to attend the Bharatiya Janata Party’sMann ki Baat, Chai Ke Saath programme, took time out to meet the textile traders and heard their concerns regarding GST, which they said was hurting the industry. Jaitley later said the textile industry in Surat is “very positive about government’s economic policies and supports GST”.
According to Jaitley, the textile industry want GST procedures to be made simpler, especially for small textile traders. He has invited their representatives to meet concerned officials in Delhi to sort out their problems.
“I’m happy that the textile industry of Surat, which is very progressive and which has made a name for itself in the entire world, are very positive about government’s economic policies and are in support of GST,” Jaitley told reporters. “I have invited a small representatives in Delhi and put their facts before the concerned officials. The GST Council is trying for the same and we will also certainly do our best,” he said.
Jaitley said the GST Council has solved issues raised with the “historic tax reform”. “Other countries have praised India for addressing issues regarding GST at a very fast pace,” he said.
According to Manoj Agarwal, president of Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association, the Surat traders told Jaitley said they want GST but are not able to follow GST rules.
“We told Jaitleyji that Surat’s textile industry is badly hurt due to GST and asked him to address our problems. He assured us to solve our problem and asked four of us to meet him in Delhi regarding this along with Surat MP Darshanaben Jardosh who was also present in the meeting,” said Agarwal. Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, Navsari MP C.R. Patil, and union minister Jitendra Singh were also present for the meeting.
Agarwal said textile traders raised issues regarding GST for saree processing and expressed concerns over e-way bill and reverse charge mechanism. “We are glad that the finance minister listened to our concerns and assured us that he will try to address them. He even invited us for discussions. We have made several representations before as well, but this meeting was very positive, may be because of the upcoming Gujarat elections,” he said.
