VAT assessment notices: Announce OTS policy by November 1 or face agitation, traders tell govt

After VAT assessment notices were issued to traders, the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal on Monday gave an ultimatum to the state government to announce One-Time Settlement

After VAT assessment notices were issued to traders, the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal on Monday gave an ultimatum to the state government to announce One-Time Settlement (OTS) policy by November 1 or face agitation.

HT Image

Traders rued that the government has extended the last date for responding to the notices till December 15 but OTS policy should be notified at the earliest.

State general secretary of beopar mandal, Sunil Mehra, state secretary Mohinder Aggarwal and district president Arvinder Singh Makkar said that traders are already reeling under losses and the government is further pressuring them by issuing notices at this time of crises.

“In 2014, the SAD-BJP led state government notified that there will be no tax assessment for traders with turnover below Rs 1 crore, but the sales tax department is again serving notices to those assesses on the directions of the state government,” said Makkar.

Mehra said that around 70,000 notices have been served to VAT assesses across the state of which 23,000 were served in Ludhiana alone.

Mehra said that the government has announced that the OTS policy would be notified in a week, but if it fails to fulfill its promise, traders will raise a statewide agitation from November 1.