Minister for Food and Civil Supplies P. Thilothaman has said that legal action will be taken against those who try to financially exploit the consumers in the name of Goods and Services Tax.
Inaugurating a seminar on ‘GST and consumer protection’ at the Collectorate here on Thursday, the Minister said penal actions would be taken against such fraud merchants by the departments of Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology.
He said micro, small and medium enterprises crumbled with the unplanned implementation of the new tax system. The GST regime hit the agriculture sector and the farmers’ income from allied agriculture ventures. It also rendered thousands jobless.
“The hasty implementation of the new tax system is fetching benefits to the capitalist forces in the country.” The impact was unpredictable though the GST proponents had made pompous claims about reducing the tax burden on the common man and increasing the revenue of the government, he said.
A. Pradeepkumar, MLA, presided over the seminar. C. Ramachandran, former Assistant Commissioner, Income Tax Department, introduced the topic.
District Supply Officer K. Manoj Kumar and District Consumer Redressal Forum president Rose Jose were present.