Pranab urges jewellers to call off shutdown
March 31st, 2012 - 9:56 pm ICT by IANS
Kolkata, March 31 (IANS) Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Saturday urged jewellers to call off their strike as he is reconsidering the matter of imposing excise duty on unbranded jewellery.
The shutdown by bullion traders and jewellery makers across the country continued for the 15th day, protesting hike in import duty on gold bars and coins, and imposition of excise duty on unbranded jewellery, proposed by Mukherjee in the budget for 2012-13.
Jewellers have kept their shutters down since March 17, the day after the budget announcement, demanding rollback of the excise duty.
“I have received representations from various organisations, state governments and members of Parliament. And in replay to the debate (in Parliament), I told that I am considering the matter and therefore they should not be and need not be on strike,” the finance minister told reporters here.
The budget proposed to include unbranded jewellery in the ambit of one per cent excise duty on branded jewellery.
Mukherjee, however, had hinted at a tweak in the excise duty on non-branded jewellery in parliament Tuesday, saying: “I understand the plight of small jewellers and an acceptable solution will be found.”
In his Budget proposals, he also doubled the import duty on gold bars and coins to four percent.
- Jewellers resume shutdown in Bengal, demand rollback of excise duty - Mar 29, 2012
- Gold traders on Akshaya Tritiya high - Apr 23, 2012
- Levy on unbranded jewellery to be withdrawn: Pranab - May 07, 2012
- Levy on unbranded jewellery to be withdrawn: Pranab (Lead) - May 07, 2012
- Lalu Prasad takes jewellers' concerns to Mukherjee - Apr 05, 2012
- Bengal minister urges Pranab to reconsider gold duty hike - Mar 24, 2012
- Tax on gold amounts to taxing culture: Congress MP - Apr 04, 2012
- Pranab, jewellers to discuss contentious new levies - Apr 05, 2012
- Jewellers end strike on promise of duty roll back - Apr 06, 2012
- Government invites jewellers for talks - Apr 04, 2012
- Hike in import duty on gold: Jewellers body calls for shutdown - Mar 16, 2012
- Jewellers criticise hike in import duty on gold - Mar 16, 2012
- Kashmir Valley gold sellers on strike against excise duty - Apr 03, 2012
- Jewellers extend shutdown by two more days - Mar 19, 2012
- UP politicians rally behind bullion traders - Mar 26, 2012
Tags: acceptable solution, ambit, budget announcement, budget proposals, bullion traders, excise duty, gold bars, import duty, imposition, jewellery makers, march 17, members of parliament, plight, pranab mukherjee, replay, rollback, shutters, state governments, unbranded, union finance minister