CM says Karnataka will take up issue of GST notices to small traders with Centre
'The Goods and Sales Tax (GST) Council comes under the purview of the Centre. However, the State government will take up the matter with the Union government and discuss it with the State's Commercial Taxes Department, and take a decision,' Mr. Siddaramaiah told presspersons in Mysuru.
It may be noted that a section of the small and micro traders in the State have taken exception to getting notices with respect to taxes based on their transactions via UPI.
Meanwhile, asking the small traders not to worry about the GST-related notices, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar accused the Union government of creating trouble for small traders and street vendors by introducing GST.
'Notices are being issued to those who are conducting business of over ₹40 lakh,' he said in Hoskote, near here, where an event was organised to distribute government benefits. He said: 'This is the achievement of the Union government. The traders do not have to worry. We will take necessary actions to protect their interests.'
The Deputy Chief Minister said though the State had appealed to the Centre several times seeking funds over the last two years, the BJP MPs are not speaking. 'They are not concerned about the poor in the State.'
Accusing the BJP of not doing enough, he said that the Congress government was committed to getting Yettinahole waters to Bengaluru North district before 2027 and the government had decided to prepare a DPR to bring metro to Hoskote. 'We will ensure it is approved during our term.'
Mr. Shivakumar also pointed out that the government had taken steps to regularise B-khata properties in Bengaluru, and that over a crore patta khatas are being given to Scheduled Tribes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
10 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Farmer groups to step up campaign against FTA with U.S.
A general body meeting of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) held in New Delhi on Sunday (July 20, 2025) has warned the Union government against going ahead with the proposed trade agreement with the United States. The SKM said, in a statement on Monday (July 21, 2025), that the general body has also called for nationwide protests against the deal as it could act against the interests of farmers. The SKM will observe August 13 as 'Corporations Quit India Day' and said it seriously apprehends that the Narendra Modi government is surrendering to the diktats of the 'U.S. Imperialism' to sign the free trade agreement (FTA). The SKM said such an agreement could lead to opening up of agriculture, dairy and food markets and that will hurt the interests of the people. 'The FTA is supposed to come into effect by August 1, 2025. August 9 is the 83rd anniversary of the Quit India Day movement against British colonialism. To protest the BJP-led NDA government's moves to accept USA's pressures and increase imports of food and dairy items, including Genetically Modified foods and penetration of multinational corporations in food markets, SKM will issue a mass warning through these mass protests,' the statement said. 'Peasants will raise the slogan 'Corporations Quit India' on August 13 by organising tractor/ motor vehicle parades and protest demonstrations and burn effigies of the US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,' the statement added. The meeting congratulated the leadership of the united trade union movement for the strike action on July 9. 'This was the 22nd general strike since the invention of neo-liberal policies and its success has filled confidence to all the democratic sections in the society that the entire working people are ready to fight back the anti-people policies of the ruling classes,' the statement said.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru street vendors threaten three-day protest against GST notices on UPI payments
A Bengaluru-based organisation on Monday said small merchants and street vendors will hold a three-day protest from July 23, including a bandh on the last day, demanding the withdrawal of GST notices issued to them for carrying out all their transactions over the past four years via UPI.'The notices have come as a shocker to small businessmen. The small traders will not sell milk and milk-based products on July 23-24 and do their business wearing a black badge,' Karnataka labour council president Ravi Shetty Byndoor, along with other office bearers, told the GST authorities have targeted small shops and vendors selling items such as milk, bakeries, condiments, flowers, and meat. All of them will gather at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru on July 25 and hold a day-long protest, he merchants are not against paying taxes, but the latest notices demanding lakhs of rupees in taxes have come without any awareness drive. Those who come under the tax net are open to register with the GST authorities and pay taxes from the year 2026-27, Byndoor and auto drivers, too, have been collecting fares from customers via UPI, and the GST authorities may also target them in future, said Cab Drivers Association president Sadananda Swamy, while pledging their support to the chief minister D K Shivakumar said the commercial taxes department has issued notices to about 14,000 traders, including those selling tender coconuts, flowers, and vegetables, while blaming the Centre for the action by the GST authorities. The BJP was now shifting the blame to the state leader Rahul Gandhi opposed the GST in the past, the Dy CM said, while adding that the CM would discuss the subject with the GST officials and take a call on the notices issued. The GST notices, Shivakumar said, were hurting small and medium if the notices are meant to meet the stiff revenue targets set by the CM, Shivakumar said the notices had been issued due to pressure from the GST MLA S Suresh Kumar, in a statement, wondered if the commercial taxes department had started reporting to the Centre, as Shivakumar's comments suggest the notices came at the instance of the GST Council. Some of the notices claimed small merchants have an annual turnover of Rs 7.5 crore, and he would be happy to honour them for their business achievement if the government disclosed their leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy said the flood of notices to tiny bakeries indeed showed Karnataka's coffers were traders across Karnataka have displayed huge signboards saying they will not accept UPI anymore and do business only in cash, worried over fears that UPI transactions will invite GST scrutiny and tax demands.
India.com
40 minutes ago
- India.com
Explainer: China's Brahmaputra Mega Dam Called ‘Water Bomb' By India – Here's Why It's Alarming Delhi
China Launches Mega Dam Project: China has officially launched construction of what experts call the world's largest hydropower project, a colossal dam on the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra) in southeastern Tibet. The groundbreaking took place in Nyingchi's Mainling Gorge, announced by Premier Li Qiang, marking the start of a $167.8 billion venture. Five cascade power stations are planned. Electricity generation is pegged at 300 billion kWh per year, enough for over 300 million people, surpassing even the Three Gorges Dam. Why India and Bangladesh Are Concerned The dam site lies near Arunachal Pradesh, where the river enters Indian territory as the Siang, later becoming the Brahmaputra in Assam and flowing into Bangladesh. Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu has called it a 'ticking water bomb', warning of China's ability to disrupt river flow or trigger sudden water release, threatening tribal communities and livelihoods in India. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and other senior officials involved in handling river sharing and water security issues have urged China to ensure the rights of downstream countries are not compromised and to allow transparent water data sharing. How Much Control Could China Actually Wield? Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and water experts argue China contributes only 30-35% of Brahmaputra flow, mainly via glacial melt and Tibetan rainfall. Over 65% of the flow is generated within India through monsoon-fed tributaries like Subansiri, Lohit, Manas and others. Research studies estimate China's contribution at just 15-20%, weakening fears of major flow control from upstream. Engineering and Geological Complexity The dam lies in the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, one of the deepest in the world. Construction will involve 420 km of tunnelling through fragile and earthquake-prone terrain near Namcha Barwa (a mountain peak lying in Tibet in the region of Pemako). Experts warn of risks like landslides and seismic displacement. In January 2025, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Tibet damaged hydropower infrastructure, highlighting seismic hazards near the dam zone. India's Plans to Offset Risks India is actively developing the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, a 11.2 GW hydropower plan near the LAC, to enhance flood control and energy security. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has described it as a strategic necessity, pitching it as both a barrier against flood risk and a defensive buffer in future water disputes. Broader Environmental and Diplomatic Stakes Analysts point to ethical and ecological implications, including potential displacement of communities and destruction of sacred ecological sites. Himalaya expert groups note an estimated 1.2 million people could be impacted across multiple Tibetan dams. Environmentalists and think tanks cite Mekong Basin precedents, where upstream dams by China have triggered droughts and disrupted downstream ecosystems. India and Bangladesh are watching closely as transboundary water law remains weak, no formal treaty exists with China to regulate flow timing or volume. So, China's mega-dam is not merely an energy project. It is a geo-environmental flashpoint. India's concerns range from water security to climate resilience, tribal impacts and strategic leverage that upstream control might afford Beijing.
