Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 15: An urgent meeting of the oil seed crushing MSME units was held under the chairmanship of Lalit Mahajan, president Bari Brahmana Industries Association for highlighting concern over putting finished product edible oil under Negative List by the Finance Department in respect of VAT remission to Industrial Sector of J&K.
The meet explained that due to edible oil in the Negative List, the common people of the State were paying higher cost for purchase of the same whereas the Almond being used by the elite class of the society has been put under 0 percent VAT.
The MSME Units, engaged in the manufacturing of edible oil, using the oil seeds as their raw material for crushing it to extract the oil, involves the manufacturing process as approved by the Industries Department and it is unjustified on the part of Finance Department to put the Edible Oil under Negative List, the meet explained.
This is discrimination with the MSME Units manufacturing Edible Oil in our State whereas Government of India has put the Edible Oil manufacturing Units under Thrust Industries to promote the Food Processing Industries in our country, the BBIA added.
The members lamented that despite repeated requests to the Finance Department to remove Edible Oil, being produced by the Oil Seeds Crushing Units, from the Negative List, no action has been taken by the Department.
The BBIA appealed to the Finance Minister Haseeb A Drabu Industries & Commerce Minister, Chander Prakash with a humble request to intervene into the matter and remove the item from the Negative List.
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