Mandi tax suicidal for traders:  Anil Modi

 Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, April 25: Anil Modi, Secretary (trade and commerce) of Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), a representative organization of traders and entrepreneurs of Kolhan, had sent a letter to the Jharkhand government opposing the imposition of two percent Mandi tax on Agricultural Produce. Modi clearly stated that the new move will prove to be suicidal for the food grain traders who were already facing recession due to online business.

The SCCI Secretary of the Trade and Commerce wing mentioned that this Mandi Bill had been proving ineffective and several state governments across the country were rolling back the Mandi Tax. The previous Jharkhand government had also removed the Mandi Bill keeping in mind the larger interests of the state. Anil Modi contended in his letter to the Jharkhand government, “Now if one and two percent duty is imposed on agricultural products, the production of the state will become expensive as compared to the neighboring states and people will sell goods purchased from neighboring states resulting in direct loss of revenue to the state government.”

He said that after going through the Bill details, it was found the proposal for the Bill was impractical and unclear. Modi said that after the end of the COVID period, there was a need to pep up economic activities, in view of the wider interests of farmers and traders of the state and therefore the Mandi Tax should be withdrawn by the government.