After its anti-corruption agitation, the Aam Aadmi Party has decided to take up the issue of the traders’ opposition to local body tax in Maharashtra.
Over last three years, Octroi has been abolished in Maharashtra and local body tax (LBT) has been imposed by all the civic bodies except Mumbai city. The LBT is added on the entry of goods into a local area. However, traders resent its implementation as they feel civic bodies are not competent in scrutinising the books of accounts of traders and it also fuels corruption.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will join the protest led by the Federation of Association of Maharashtra (FAM) in early February, if the State government fails to resolve the issues raised by traders against LBT.
The FAM is an umbrella body representing 750 associations of traders, transporters and small and medium enterprises in the State. It had launched a State-wide strike against LBT in March last year. The strike was called off after talks with the Chief Minister.
State Convenor of AAP Mayank Gandhi said the traders were facing harassment over LBT from municipal authorities. He claimed that it resulted in migration of business from Maharashtra. So the party has decided to join hands with FAM for abolition of LBT, he said.
President of FAM Mohan Gurnani said the headcount of traders and their families under FAM is about 50 lakh, which is a sizeable vote bank. In the forthcoming elections, FAM will support the parties that are sympathetic to the cause of the traders in the fight against LBT, he said.
“We had written to all political parties seeking their support. But till date, only AAP has taken up our cause,” he said.
He pointed out that in 2013 Maharashtra Government had set up a committee under the chairmanship of Subodh Kumar, a former Finance Secretary of Maharashtra. The committee had given its report in September 2013, suggesting viable alternatives to these taxes but there has been no action from the State government. FAM would fight for the implementation of the report, he said.