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Bandh: Partial response in Shimoga

By Our Special Correspondent

SHIMOGA June 11 . The call for a trade bandh on Wednesday evoked a partial response with hardly a few shops and business establishments in the main market area responding to it. The bandh call was given by the Shimoga District Chamber of Commerce and Industry to protest against the imposition of one per cent additional sales tax on 201 commodities and one per cent tax as the non-collectible tax.

Members of the chamber, led by its President, T.V. Narayana Sastry, took out a procession to the office of the Deputy Commissioner to present a memorandum.

The Minister for Health and Family Welfare, and Information, Kagodu Thimmappa, who is the district in-charge minister, received the memorandum and promised to convey their sentiments to the Government.

Addressing the demonstrators, he said it became inevitable for the Government to promulgate the Ordinance in view of the deferment of the value added tax system by the Centre.

He said the Government would consider the representations from various bodies.

The Director of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), M. Bharadwaj, the General Secretary of the Shimoga chamber, T.R. Ashwathnarayan Shetty, and the Secretary, Vasanthkumar, were present.

Bandh successful in Kodagu

Our Madikeri Staff Correspondent reports:

The trade bandh called by the Kodagu District Chamber of Commerce in protest against the imposition of one per cent additional sales tax on Wednesday was successful.

The Chamber of Commerce, led by its President, G. Rajendra, gathered at the Deputy Commissioner's office here and handed over a memorandum to the Headquarters Assistant to the Deputy Commissioner, opposing the move of the State Government, which has passed an Ordinance increasing sales tax on 201 commodities by one per cent and also an additional non-collectable tax of one per cent.

The State Government should withdraw the Ordinance, Mr. Rajendra said.

He said the new move of the Government, through the Karnataka Sales Tax (Amendment) Ordinance 2003, effective from June 1, would affect trade, commerce, and consumers.

Members, who shouted slogans against the Government, said trade and industry bodies had always cooperated with the Government in the process of tax reforms but the latter had thrown to the winds the consultative process adopted by it all along.

According to reports received from various parts of the district, the trade and industry bandh was almost total with the exception of Kushalnagar town, where a few shops remained open.

Private transport services and other vehicles plied normally. Essential services were not hit due to the strike.

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