Cloth markets shut in Delhi to protest GST hike on textiles

Cloth markets in the national capital were shut on Thursday in protest against the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on textiles.

Cloth markets of Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, Pitampura, Lajpat Nagar, among others, were shut.

Besides Delhi, markets in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra were also shut. Though some markets were shut for two hours only, others were closed for the entire day.

The traders have threatened that if the government does not roll back the hike, they will go on an indefinite strike.

Disappointed with the hike in GST, the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) and other associations of cloth traders called for the closure of textile and garment markets on Thursday.

The Delhi Mercantile Association said: "From January 1, 2022, the GST on textiles will be 12 per cent. The Union government increased the GST from five to 12 per cent. Everybody knows that traders have not been faring well during the past two years due to the corona pandemic."

On Wednesday, various traders' organisations led by the CTI, staged a protest at Connaught Place.

The traders said that if 12 per cent GST is implemented, then they will not have capital due to which all small workshops will face closure and many people will evade tax.

In such circumstances, it would be very difficult to compete with China and Bangladesh, the traders added.