A delegations of people’s representatives from Karnataka and office-bearers of CAMPCO met Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah in New Delhi on Friday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah on Friday promised a delegation of people’s representatives from Karnataka’s arecanut growing regions and CAMPCO that suitable action will be taken regarding the deviations in arecanut markets brought to his notice and reaffirmed his support to cooperatives and their members.The delegation comprising Members of Parliament Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, B.Y. Raghavendra, Kota Srinivas Poojary, Tirthahalli MLA Araga Jnanendra, CAMPCO president S.R. Sathishchandra and managing director B.V. Sathyanarayana, met Mr. Shah in New Delhi and apprised him of the concerns of arecanut growers in Karnataka.It specifically drew his attention to the illegal and undervalued import of arecanut through various HS (harmonised system) classifications, including the import of roasted arecanut under the new classification introduced from October last. Such imports, particularly when entering the domestic market at low prices, are adversely affecting domestic arecanut prices. The members also brought to the Minister’s notice the issue of duty-free and non-MIP-compliant imports finding way into the domestic market, thereby undermining the objective of measures introduced to protect domestic arecanut growers.Mr. Sathishchandra emphasised the need for a “One Nation, One Tax” approach in the true spirit of GST. He said cooperatives were subjected to additional local taxes and levies in certain States, while private traders were often able to structure their operations to avoid such burdens, putting cooperatives at a competitive disadvantage. He sought a uniform taxation framework.GST on copper sulphate
