Traders to go on strike over ‘harassment’ by GST officials

Fatehgarh Sahib, August 30, 2023

Would go on strike if demands not met by September 4

Members of the Iron Scrap Traders Welfare Association, Mandi Gobindgarh, today held a meeting in which they decided to go on strike over the harassment that traders face at the hands of GST officials.

Aman Sharma, the president of the association, stressed, “The association is not against the raids. In fact, it wants that those involved in corrupt practices and guilty of tax evasion to be taken to task. However, during the recent raids, some officials of the GST Department harassed traders who had not indulged in any corrupt practice.”

He said the officials had taken several loaded trucks into custody, and that resulted in a loss of crores of rupees as furnace units had to shut. He noted that the raids have taken a large bite out of the traders’ earnings. He said the association has decided not to purchase any scrap from August 31. And come September 4, members of the association will go on strike if their demands are not met.

GST Assistant Commissioner Sanjeev Madaan, however, stated that the GST teams are conducting raids on the directions of the government and warned that no tax evaders would be spared. He said the officials would not let up on the crackdown against tax evasion.

[The Tribune]