New Delhi, Feb 21 (KNN) About 100 trade leaders from different states of India will come together to discuss issues concerning e-commerce and GST at the National Traders Conference to be convened by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) here on 23rd and 24th  February, 2022.

The traders will meet with a strong mandate to oppose global e-commerce companies for their unethical actions & business policies, acts of several Chinese companies to invade India’s retail trade through technology in absence of any data security law and complication of GST tax structure, said CAIT.

Union Minister Smriti Irani will inaugurate the conference and deliver a key note address laying greater emphasis on greater adoption and acceptance of Atmanirbhar Bharat, informed CAIT.

It will be a two-day conference and its objective is to address issues among 8 crore traders of the country through participation of more than 40 thousand trade associations. 

CAIT National President B C Bhartia & Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said the current scenario of e-commerce suffered with various mal-practices and complications of GST have challenged the very existence of retail trade India and giving much pain to the traders.

Spelling out the agenda of the meeting,  the two senior CAIT officials said that top 100 trade leaders of the country will have extensive deliberations and will understand the amendment made in GST Act and Income Tax Act by Union Budget 2022, Complications of GST, adverse impact of current e-commerce trade on offline traders having illegal and unethical way of doing business by foreign e-commerce companies at the core, failure of Mudra scheme reaching out to traders, Consideration of  issues and concerns emerged out of rules framed  by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) particularly for Jewellery & Footwear trade,  issues and concerns under Food Safety and Standard Act.

Several other issues will be discussed at length including demand to create a separate tax slab under Income Tax for traders, need of a National Retail Policy and an E commerce Policy with an affective Regulatory Authority, Replacement of all sorts of trade licenses with only one license, abrogation of outdated laws concerning trade, support policies of the Government for access to finances to traders on reduced rate of interest, empowerment of women entrepreneurs, hand holding of startups, effective pension & insurance scheme for traders, upgradation and modernisation of existing format of retail trade. (KNN Bureau)