Commercial tax dept holds meeting with traders over tax notices; Meat trader gets Rs 91 lakh notice

BENGALURU: Many small traders are already under stress due to the GST notices given to them by the commercial tax department. Some traders are confused about the concept.

The Commercial Tax Department is taking steps to alleviate the concerns of traders. They organized a workshop title ‘Know GST’ at the Commercial Tax Office in Koramangala to create awareness and clear their confusions.

The department provided information on GST rules, benefits, compliance and settlement of taxes. Officials clarified doubts and explained rules for maintaining receipts and bank accounts and responding to department notices. Hundreds of traders attended the workshop to gain clarity on GST.

Meanwhile, a meat trader, who is not even under the GST regime, has received a notice to pay a whopping Rs 91 lakh as taxes, leaving the trader in distress.

The notice was issued to Mohammed Arfath, who runs a meat shop in Electronics City. The trader is shocked and worried about where to get the money from. If the authorities continue to pressure him, he might have to shut down his shop and leave, he said.

Mohammed Arfath said, “Most of the customers are used to paying online. I have been doing this business for 18 years. Sometimes I get Rs 1,500-Rs 2,000 in cash. I was shocked after receiving the tax notice. Some days, we do not get anything, no income. I have a loan of Rs 30 lakh to pay, and I could not even pay regularly. There is a lot of competition here. If the price increases by Rs 10-Rs 20, customers will move to another shop. We are living in a lease. I have contacted senior officers. If we have to pay Rs 91 lakh, it is better to leave the shop or go for another job. I am getting nothing here. If I worked outside, at least I could get the minimum amount. I don’t know on what basis they have imposed such a whopping amount of tax”.