Though the Kerala government has decided to defer the implementation of the value-added tax (VAT) system, traders and small-scale industries in the state have decided to go ahead with their strike on March 31 and April 1 to press for their various demands.
Traders, hoteliers, petroleum and automobile dealers, small-scale units and printing units throughout the sate will keep their establishments closed on both the days.
Announcing the decision to stick to the strike, the office bearers of the newly-formed Kerala Entrepreneurs Forum (KEF) said they had decided to go ahead with the strike because the state government had not yet made it clear how long it would defer the implementation of VAT.
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The strike was also to press for other demands like withdrawal of presumptive tax, increase in licence fee as well and reducing power tariff.