Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi in a statement here said imposition of VAT on saree, clothes and sweets would force traders to take a round of the Commercial Taxes Department and also become victims of exploitation.
By enhancing VAT on sand, the Nitish Kumar government has made an attempt to "break the back of the construction industry," Sushil Modi, who was finance minister in the NDA government in the state, said.
The BJP leader, who headed the committee on GST earlier, said cloth has been kept out of tax regime across the country and states which tried to realise additional revenue through this mean "met with failure".
Sushil Modi, who is Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, said the enhancement of tax on sand from existing five per cent to 13.5 per cent would adversely impact the construction industry.
Lamenting the increased tax on computer UPS to 13.5 per cent from existing five per cent, he said "the Digital India campaign will be hit by this in Bihar."
Sushil Modi demanded immediate withdrawal of the enhanced tax on saree, cloth, sweets, sand, UPS and battery.