Agra: Though the GST or the goods and services tax may have been hailed as India’s biggest tax reform since Independence for many but according to the labourers, manufacturers and retailers who work in Agra’s famous leather industry claim that the implementation of the same has proved to be a curse and has hence meant a sharp downfall in business.
According to a shoe manufacturer and a factory owner in Agra, Mr. Dharmendra Soni and his business has faced a blow due to GST of 75 to 80 percent.
Also Mr. Soni said that he had to even shut down one of his two factories due to the downfall witnessed in his business, he further added that he use to hire 50 weekly wage workers, but now he claims that only 20 are enough.
Residents of Agra’s Kazi Bada, a leather makers’ neighborhood in Agra, complained of far less work compared to last Diwali.
Workers even complained about the lesser number of days they works currently as compared with the number of days they worked earlier. They further added that they used to earn rupees 300 a day which was enough to cover their family expenses but now they are unsure of even making rupees 50 a day. Rajkumar, another worker in the same factory accused the government of being against the poor.
Retailers too are under this scrutiny of the act felt Mr. Hemant Kumar, a supplier of footwear making machinery, who further added that the business for retailers and equipment suppliers has halved. Mr. Kumar said, “the customers are feeling the impact of high prices, there is pressure on manufacturers too because the machines, raw materials and everything is even more expensive now.
Reference:
Jaiswal, N. (2017, October 8). Agra’s Leather Industry Hit Hard By GST, Say Traders, Workers. Retrieved from https://www.ndtv.com/agra-news/agras-leather-industry-hit-hard-by-gst-says-traders-workers-1760312
