30 Market Welfare Associations assure support to Jain

• BJP commitment to raise IT exemption limit to Rs three Lakh
• Advisory boards for Govt departments to ensure Businessmen participate in decision making process
• Business people say in one voice – price rise due to wrong Govt policies
• Congress policies have harmed business
• Shyam Behari Mishra of Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal appeals to traders to support Jain
• Govt of India pointing fingers at trading community to evade its responsibilities

30 Market Welfare Associations of Chandigarh lead by Mr Anil Vohra President of Market Welfare Association of Sector 44D today announced that they will support Mr Satya Pal Jain of the BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. This was announced by Mr Anil Vohra and Mr Kailash Jain, President of the Chandigarh State BJP Traders cell, in a press conference here today.

Trading community is of the opinion that high handed action in the name of anti-encroachment campaign is a big cause of corruption. They expressed the need for change in building bye-laws to permit business activities on all floors of SCO’s and SCF’s. Permission for one additional floor in bay shops and booths; enforcement of balanced rent act; rationalising power and water rates; modernising all markets and provision of necessary amenities in the markets are among the other demands of the community.

Leaders of the trading community complained that tax burden has crippled their business. Sales tax, Income tax, service tax, excise duty, import duty, export duty and several other taxes have made life difficult for traders. Property tax and lease money on commercial property have dealt a double blow to them. Taxation system is so complicated that traders can not understand it. Different rates of VAT in different states have also complicated matters. The trading community is helpless and the officers are making hay in league with the corrupt congress leaders, government is watching it all from the side lines.

They complained that licensing system under Essential Commodities Act is the root cause of corruption. They have big responsibilities while facilities available to them are negligible. If a high tax bracket traders falls ill he can not get any facility. When they take leave their income also ceases. The government does not provide them any security in form of insurance or pension.

Traders expressed distress on account of C-form related problems; future trading related stress and entry of multinationals (MNC’s) in retail sector. They demanded end of licensing under the Essential Commodities Act; ban on futures trading; ban on entry of (MNC’s) in retail sector; end to packaging act; uniform VAT rates throughout the country; one C-form for the whole year and rationalisation of sales tax, Income tax, service tax, excise duty, import duty, export duty and other taxes. The trading community demanded that a Ministry of Internal Trade should be set up in the country; a Tax Reform Commission should be set up; Businessmen reaching 60 years of age should be given pension as a proportion of indirect taxes paid by them throughout their entire working span and the entire country should be declared a free trade zone.

Speaking on this occasion Mr Satya Pal Jain said he understands the problems of the trading community. He said price rise is a result of the wrong policies of the Government of India and the government did not do anything to check it earlier nor is it doing any thing in this direction now. By pointing fingers at the trading community it is trying to evade its responsibilities, without success. Mr Jain said he will ensure that advisory boards are constituted for various departments of the government and representatives of trading fraternity are included in these so that they can participate in the decision making process.

Mr Jain agreed that the jungle-tangle of laws creates an autocracy of corrupt officials. The legal jargon is beyond the understanding of common man, when even a lawyer can not remember all the laws relating to a field, how will a business man handling various business related core everyday mange to do that? Even if he wants to abide by the laws mistakes can and will happen. Mr Jain assured the trading fraternity that he will try to bring about a qualitative change in the scenario. BJP has promised tax exemption up to three lakh rupees of income.These he said are the reasons why 30 Market Welfare Associations of Chandigarh have unanimously assured support to him.

Mr Shyam Behar Mishra, National President of Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal, said businessmen and industrialist have a big role in running the economy of a country. He said Bharatiya Udyoag Vyapar Mandal has always watched interests of the business people. Understanding and explaining problems of the business community is our declared purpose. In addition to deeply understanding the needs and complaints of the traders we have also been analysing trade related policies of the government. He said all small and big businessmen are suffering because of government policies, vague laws and bureaucratic obduracy.

Later addressing a convention of traders Mr Mishra appealed to the traders to support the BJP. This convention was also addressed by former Chandigarh mayor Mrs Harjinder Kaur, Chandigarh state BJP Mrs Kamla Sharma, Mr Satya Pal Jain and State BJP General secretary Mr Sanjay Tandon