Industrialists seek Manpreet Badal’s intervention

PHAGWARA: Former state minister and president of district Congress committee, Kapurthala, Joginder Singh Mann, led a delegation of prominent industrialists of Phagwara on Tuesday to meet the state finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal at Chandigarh to seek his intervention to reclassify Goods and Services (GST) Tax rates on switches, wires and cables.

The delegation comprising members of Laghu Udyog Bharti Phagwara told Manpreet that electrical apparatus such as switches, sockets, lamp hold- ers, plugs, PVC-insulated wires and cables are not luxurious items and should be reclassified as basic necessities.

The delegation said the consumption of power by these electrical goods was less than 440 watts so it was grave injustice to impose of a tax of 28% on these items.

Meanwhile, industrialists urged him to reduce the GST on these items from 28% to 18%.

They said that this would help the industry in bailing out from the current crisis being faced by them due to strict competition from the foreign companies.