Govt to discuss tax abolition

Surat: The state government has decided to discuss abolition of professional tax for diamond artisans in the Cabinet meeting.
A delegation of Surat Diamond Association (SDA) met chief minister Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar to seek abolition of professional tax for diamond workers in the state.
SDA office-bearers said Rupani assured that the issue will be taken up in the Cabinet meeting for the amicable solution.
SDA president Babu Kathiriya said, “We had a long discussion over the professional tax issue with the CM. We have also urged the state government to introduce welfare schemes for the diamond workers as the industry is facing recession for past 18 months. A dedicated corpus should be set aside for the diamond industry workers for providing them with personal loans and other financial benefits.”
The Surat Ratnakalakar Sangh (SRS), a workers’ union, has already given bandh call against professional tax on March 16.