FAM opposes separate committees on local body tax issue

Federation of Associations of Maharashtra (FAM) today opposed the state government's move to form separate committees for Mumbai and for the rest of Maharashtra to deliberate on the issue of Local Body Tax.
"We oppose the Maharashtra government's move to form two separate committees-- one for Mumbai and another for rest of Maharashtra to deliberate on the issue of LBT," FAM president Mohan Gurnani said in a statement here.
"In our considered view, the Government should not indulge in divide and rule policy, but as promised, should form a committee which would work towards finding a solution in the best interest of the consumer, trade, industry and the state as a whole," he added.

Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan has already promised in the presence of NCP chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar that a ten-member committee would be formed with five members suggested by FAM and five from the government.
FAM has already sent the names and the government should now form the committee, Gurnani said.
"Any move to divide the trading community region-wise would only harm the interest of State of Maharashtra," he said.

Wholesale and retail traders in Maharashtra observed a two-day strike last week to protest against the (LBT) imbroglio.
We will decide on future course of action after the current monsoon session of the state assembly, he said.

Maharashtra government had already imposed LBT in lieu of octroi from April 1 this year across Maharashtra and set to implement the same from October 1 in Mumbai city. There is a strong resentment against imposition of LBT amongst the trading community in the state.
Traders across the state are opposing the present form of LBT, which they say, is totally different from the draft submitted by the FAM and other chamber of commerce. It appealed to the state government to keep the implementation of LBT in abeyance till further discussion with the trading community to arrive at a consensus.