Demonetisation: After meeting Uddhav, traders meet CM Fadnavis

A delegation of retail traders on Sunday had met Thackeray on Sunday and sought his intervention in to the issues being faced by the community.

A day after meeting Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, retail traders on Tuesday met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and sought various tax incentives to bring relief to the community’s suffering due to the scrapping of old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. (Kalpak Pathak / Hindustan Times)

A delegation of retail traders had met Thackeray on Sunday and sought his intervention into the issues being faced by the community. The traders, who are staunch supporters of BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had also claimed that they met Thackeray after attempts to meet the chief minister failed.

The move would have rattled the BJP, as traders are considered as traditional voters after which Ashish Shelar, Mumbai BJP chief, took the initiative and a meeting between traders and CM was organised on Tuesday morning.

A delegation of around 25 to 30 traders, representing around 2 lakh retail traders from various sectors, met the chief minister and demanded making sufficient currency notes available, incentives on VAT and rebate in income tax to ease the panic in the market.

The traders, gathered under the banner of Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA), informed the chief minister that the business of both wholesale and retail traders have been badly affected, owing to the shortage of currency notes.

“Customers are also not willing to shop due to uncertainties, and fear drawing and deposit cash. All ceremonies and functions including weddings have been postponed, which have led to losses for the traders. Thus, the government should announce ‘tax incentive package’ for traders,” said Viren Shah president of FRTWA.

“We have asked incentives in VAT, on electricity bills and on taxes on petrol and diesel for the next three months, and the CM has assured that he will look into it,” Shah told HT.

The traders also demanded special counters at Reserve Bank on India (RBI) and at local bank branches for change of Rs 2000 notes and low denomination notes. Fadnavis assured that he will speak with the RBI governor on the issue immediately.