Welcoming the decision of the GST Council to postpone the increase in the rate of GST on textiles, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said that this decision will provide for the time benefit to about 90 lakh textile traders and other textile related entrepreneurs across the Country. On the other hand, more than 85 percent of the people of the country have been relieved of the burden of tax increase on textiles till the time actual decision is taken. CAIT has urged the Finance Minister that like textile, footwear is another sector where more than 85% of the country’s people wear footwear less than one thousand rupees, therefore the tax increase on footwear should also be deferred inform by CAIT Metropolitan chapter president and National President of Akhil Bharatiya khadhyatel Vyapari Mahasangh and *further said we have organised important meeting regarding further road map related to above issues at chtliya hall ,Dhobi talao ,Marine lines on 3 January, Monday 4 pm onwards.
Meeting chaired by CAIT secretary general shree Praveen Khandelwal guest shree Dhairyashil Patil national president all India consumer distributor association and shree Lalit Gandhi president Maharashtra chamber of commerce industry and agriculture and Maharashtra leading associations office bearer will also present*

CAIT has expressed its gratitude to the Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharman and Textiles Minister Shri Piyush Goyal for this decision, while appreciating the cooperation of former Union Minister of Textiles and presently Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smt. Smriti Irani for her tireless efforts. CAIT has urged the Finance Minister Smt. Seetharaman that there is no justification for sending the tax committee of GST to look into the deferred issue as the same committee had recommended the imposition of 12% tax rate on textiles. Hence, it will be justified to constitute a joint committee of officials & trade representatives under the Chairmanship of the Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes for a time bound logical , fair and impartial discussion assessing the merits and demerits of imposition of 12% tax rate.

CAIT National President Shri BC Bhartia and Secretary General Shri Praveen Khandelwal said that since this decision has not been reversed but has been postponed for some time, CAIT has taken up this as its top priority and a national discourse will be held amongst the trading community of the Country. They said that till this decision is not reversed, the traders across the country are not going to sit silent. Mr. Bhartia and Mr. Khandelwal informed that for this purpose, CAIT has constituted a National Textile Committee which will be chaired by senior business leader of Delhi Mr. Subhash Goyal and Mr. Suresh Bindal as its President and prominent trade leaders of Surat Mr. Pramod Bhagat and President, Delhi Readymade Garments Traders Association Shri Satwant Singh as its Convenor.

Mr. Bhartia and Mr. Khandelwal informed that the other members of this committee include Mr Shankar Thakkar from Mumbai, Mr. Bharat Gandhi and Champalal Bothra from Surat, Mr. Santosh Kumar from Ludhiana, Mr. Amit Kalra, Kanpur, Mr. Vijay Mangwani, Raipur, Mr. Indra Chand, Coimbatore, Mr. Vinod Kankani. , Ichalkaranji, Shri Surendra Baj, Jaipur, Shri Sachin Nivagune, Pune, , Shri Mukesh Arora, Dhanbad etc.

Shankar Thakkar said that this Committee will engage in discussion with all the major textile markets of the Country and will also hold meetings with Finance Ministers of all the States and shall make a strong case for withdrawal of the tax rate.