Industry demands lowest GST rate slab for Plywood, Flush door and Block Board

New Delhi, May 2 (KNN) The Indian Industries Association (IIA) in a representation to the GST council has requested to impose lower GST rates for the items including Plywood, Flush door and Block board.

Citing the fact that the principal raw material used for manufacturing plywood, flush door and block board is ‘soft wood’ which takes 6-8 years to grow. Moreover since these raw material falls under agricultural produce, they provide substantial source of earning to the poor farmers.

IIA further mentioned that the plywood, flush door and block board are used as a basic requirement in building construction and household and is not a luxury item. In many cases it provides for a good substitute to the expensive ‘Seesham’, ‘Sagwan’ and Teak wood, therefore it is mostly purchased by people belonging to the middle class and lower middle class.

There are large number of MSMEs in the country that produce these woods and this result in generation of a lot of employment. Most of the workers in these wood industries are unskilled and uneducated labours. Therefore these wood processing MSMEs are doing a great job in helping the economy in more than one way.

Pleading to the GST council stating Prime Ministers Vision to provide houses to every Indian, IIA appealed that this vision can be realised only if there is cheap and durable wood available. IIA proposed that the Plywood, flush door and block board should be kept in the lowest slab of the GST rates. (KNN/ DA)