Jammu, June 6 (KNN) The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) body from Jammu, Bari Brahmana Industries Association (BBIA) has strongly pitched for the continuation of Lakhanpur toll tax to protect industries from the financial loss due to unaccounted import and export of goods into the states.

In a meeting held under the Chairmanship of Lalit Mahajan, President of BBIA, members from industrial fraternity expressed serious concern over repeated attempts of some people who are raising their voice for the removal of toll tax at Lakhanpur with their ill design to allow the import/export of unaccounted goods in/from the State which may be resulting into huge financial loss to the State exchequers as well as to the Industrial sector of J&K.

The members present in the meeting alleged that when the Government exempted some items in past from the toll tax, the benefit of the same never passed on to the consumers & in some cases the rates has not been reduced but enhanced by the companies.

The majority of the food products like rice, atta, maida, fresh vegetables etc, which are being used by the common man, are already exempted from the preview of toll tax, hence there is no justification for hue and cry raised by some persons who are trading in some goods on which the toll tax is being deposited in crores of rupees annually, they added.

Claiming that in post GST regime, the import of industrial goods being manufactured in J&K State has increased in many fold resulting the local units are running with the capacity of 25 to 30 percent, the members said that in case the toll tax is removed, the unit holders have no option but to close down

Claiming that in post GST regime, the import of industrial goods being manufactured in J&K State has increased in many fold resulting the local units are running with the capacity of 25 to 30 percent, the members said that in case the toll tax is removed, the unit holders have no option but to close down, which may result in to the mass scale retrenchment of industrial labour, said BBIA members.

“If the Government withdraws the toll tax at Lakhanpur check post, the whole state shall be flooded with the unaccounted goods and other related material which will prove as death nail for the Industrial sector of the State,” observed the meet, which resolved that any move of the Government to withdraw the toll tax may be resulting into mass scale agitation by the industrial units along with the retrenchment of the industrial workers as majority of the units will have no option.

The Association has appealed Governor Satya Pal Malik to intervene into the matter and safeguard the interests of locals units.