Traders seek roll back of Green Road Permit

Traders fear the permit will put a financial burden on them in the form of additional sales tax

The traders and industrialists across Jharkhand have threatened to launch a statewide stir if the freshly introduced Green Road Permit was not rolled back by the commercial tax department.

Members of Chamber of Commerce hand over a memorandum to the joint commissioner of commercial tax in Dhanbad. (Bijay / Hindustan Times)

The department had introduced the permit system on June 6 under the Jharkhand Value Added Tax amendment Ordinance-2016. The Green Road Permit has the fixed goods quota transport, which the traders fear will, end up putting a financial burden on them in the form of additional sales tax. They said they would have to break the consignment into several consignments as per the permit rules and would have to pay sales tax on each.

On the basis of the traders’ last year’s total consignment (purchase of goods), the commercial tax department has divided them ( goods) into quarterly quota for businessmen to import under the new decree. Now a trader can import goods according to his quarterly fixed quota under the Green Road Permit.

The Jharkhand State Chamber of Commerce (JSCC) has strongly opposed the Green Road Permit and has threatened to launch agitation if government fails to roll back on it.

JSCC office-bearers, while protesting the decree, have demanded immediate roll back of ordinance. “Traders import goods in state from outside on demand of market. Id, Rakshabandhan , Durga Puja, Diwali festivals are on the card. At this juncture limitation on import of goods would not only ruin business of traders in the state but also deprive state government of large chunk of revenue,” said Surendra Arora, office-bearer of the JSCC, after handing over a memorandum to the joint commissioner sale tax.