Plea to exempt tural grass broom from GST

NPP MP Conrad Sangma writes to Union Fince Minister Arun Jaitley

FROM A Correspondent            

Shillong, Nov 29:  tiol People’s Party (NPP) MP from Tura, Conrad K Sangma has written to Union Fince Minister Arun Jaitley to maintain status quo and keep phul-jharu (broom) in the zero percent GST category.

“There is a move by certain groups to try and include phul - jharu in a higher tax category which would seriously affect the industry and would lead to huge economic loss for the local people and loss of employment also,” Conrad said. In the letter to Jaitley, Conrad said that with the introduction of the GST, the plastic lobby is actively campaigning to restrict the advantage of phul–jharu, or the brooms made from tural twigs with a deceit campaign.

“The plastic lobby effort is to classify broomsticks as branded and unbranded. Trying to put the branded brooms in the higher tax schedule of GST,” Conrad said.

The Tura MP said that due to the deceit campaign of the plastic lobby, if the phul-jharu (brooms made of tural grass) is classified into branded and unbranded then the entire Northeast broom industry will suffer an irreversible loss and lose their advantage over the plastic brooms. Conrad urged that in the interest of those involved in broom grass cultivation and broom making industry especially in Meghalaya, it should not be deprived of their livelihood with such move. He also urged the government to exempt tural grass broom from GST, by putting it in ‘exempt schedule’ with zero percent GST.

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