The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) announced in a press conference on Tuesday that it will observe Bharat trade Bandh on February 26 to protest the Goods and Services Tax (GST) introduced by the central government. All India Transport Welfare Association (AITWA) has supported the bandh and decided to block major highways and roads on the day, reported the Times of India.

Also read: In January 2021, GST revenue at record-high of Rs 1.20 lakh crore

Addressing the media in Nagpur, CAIT national president BC Bhartia and secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said one of the most complicated tax systems globally, GST, brought an untold misery for traders in the country.

“The current system of GST has become a maze of compliances without tangible benefits to the stakeholders. The trade leaders across the country were of a unanimous view that both central and state governments have failed to respond to the problems of traders regarding the tax,” Bhartia said.

He added that the GST council has increased the complexity of the tax with ‘One Nation One Tax’ principle. 

Khandelwal said that trade can’t survive without innovations in a growing consumer economy like India.

GST lacks the mechanism to take into account the product innovations due to its structure, he said. 

CAIT is the apex body that represents several trade associations in India.