Andhra Chamber of Commerce seeks tax cuts for the poor
The Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry requested the state government to reduce tax burden on poor and middle class sections in the forthcoming budget.
Vijayawada: The Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry requested the state government to reduce tax burden on poor and middle class sections in the forthcoming budget.
The Chamber conducted a pre-budget meeting with traders at a private hotel here on Wednesday. It asked the government to make changes towards reducing tax burden on poorer sections.
Andhra Chamber regional chairman Mallineni Rajaiah said the tax regime for hotel industry was discouraging the business. The tax is 18 per cent on hotel room with rent of up to Rs 7,499 while tax is 28 per cent on rent beyond Rs 7,500, he said.
He asked the government to implement single tax at an average of 12 per cent instead of various slabs. Noted auditor Paruchuri Laxmana Rao asked the government to extend capital gains benefit from two-year period to some more years for farmers who have given their land for capital construction. The farmers could not get benefit when the development was very nominal in capital area, he said.
The AP Hotels Association president M Srinivasa Babu urged the government to allow them to keep open hotels one more hour to encourage business. All the hotel owners were paying taxes to government and were responsible in ensuring security also, he said. The city hoteliers requested the government to permit them to open their hotels up to 12 midnight.
They pointed out that how the government allowed road side food courts to open the whole night. Vijayawada chamber president Vakkalagadda Bhaskar Rao flayed the officials for imposing fines on traders when there is no provision in the GST.
He said that they would fight legally on the issue. Prominent business persons and industrialists participated in the meeting where several issues including Goods Service Tax (GST) were discussed.
