NEED FOR NATIONAL TRADE POLICY FOR RETAIL TRADE
TRADERS DEMAND INDIA AS A FREE TRADE ZONE IN PRE BUDGET MEMO
MOOTED NEED FOR NATIONAL TRADE POLICY FOR RETAIL TRADE
The Confederation of
All India Traders (CAIT), apex body of the trading community, in its
pre-budget memorandum submitted to Union Finance Minister Shri P.
Chidambaram, has called for a Ministry of Internal Trade both at Centre
and the States besides demanding a National Policy for Internal Trade of the
Country. The CAIT on the other hand has also demanded enactment of a Small and
Medium Retailers Act ( SMRA) on the pattern of Micro and Small and Medium
Enterprises Act in order to protect the traders from various onslaughts from
different quarters. While agreeing with the report of Parliamentary
Standing Committee on Retail Trade tabled in the Parliament on 8th
June,2009, the CAIT has advocated a blanket ban on entry of big corporate
houses and MNCs in retail Trade. The increasing trend in collection of indirect
taxes has necessiated the formation of an Independent Indirect Tax Board
also-said CAIT.
CAIT
National President Mr. B. C. Bhartia and Secretary General Mr. Praveen
Khandelwal informed that in its memorandum, the CAIT has also called for an
early roadmap on Goods and Services Tax (GST) with its baisc fundamentals of
single tax regime with uniform act, rules and regulations across the Country.It
has also demanded the phasing out of Central Sales Tax to zero from April, 2013
as per phasing out plan of the Central Government to abolish CST by year
2010.which is over delayed for three years . The CAIT has said that Better
Banking facilities to Traders should be ensured & easy loan facility from Banks
at Primary sector lending rate may be allowed for traders.
The
CAIT has also demanded increase in Cash Payment limit from Rs. 20,000 to
Rs. 50,000 as the said limit was fixed in the year 1997 and till than the price
index has increased considerably. Refering to the grave shortage of Banks,
it has demanded the Government to set up a Panel of officials and trade
representatives to draw out modalities of opening new banks and making them
efficient to render best possible services. The CAIT has also advocated a
special package to traders engaged in Educational and Health Sector so as to
deliver their best to the citizens.
The CAIT has demanded
India to be developed as a Free Trade Zone by allowing free Inter-State
Movement of goods by abolishing all kind of Road Permits & Entry Forms in
Inter-State Trade. The CAIT has drawn the attention of the Government towards
laws and rules governing domestic trade which are decades old and most of them
either need to be abrogated or require amendments. The CAIT has, therefore, demanded
the Government to constitute a Joint Committee of Officials and Traders to make
an indepth study of such laws and to make recommendations
In its memorandum, the
CAIT has demanded that like Free Trade Zone and Special Economic Zone the Govt.
should also create Rural Economic Zone for small traders operating their
business activities in rural areas. Such Rural Economic Zones should be
exempted for a period of five years from all the complexities of various Acts
and laws in order to boost trade and development of rural areas in the Country.
The CAIT has also demanded a pension scheme for the traders by suggesting that
a part of the tax paid by the assesses should by invested in pension
fund/schemes by the Government and the proceeds thereof should be provided to
the assesses after attaining the age of 60 years.
The CAIT has also
demanded increase in the limit of exemption in Income Tax and suggested that
the limit should be raised suitably, in a rational manner, by also taking into
account the factors which formed yardstick in recommendation of 6thPay
Commission for salary to Govt. employees.