'Taxing handicrafts, agri produce inhuman'

The move to bring handloom and handicraft products and agriculture produce under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) ambit is condemnable, said Swaraj India Party leader Yogendra Yadav.

He was addressing the gathering at a convention, organised by Gram Seva Sangha and federation of people’s organisations at Junjappanagudde in the taluk on Sunday, demanding the government to withdraw taxes on handicrafts and agri produce and implement.

“At a time when farmers are ending their lives due to mounting debts and crop failure due to successive droughts, the Union government’s decision to tax impose GST on handicrafts and agri produce is inhuman,” Yogendra Yadav said. “The campaign to resist tax on handicrafts, started at a small village in Sira taluk, should shape into a nationwide movement,” he said.

Farmer leader Kadidal Shamanna, speaking on the occasion, said, “When the British imposed tax on salt, the nation under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi defied the salt tax. We should draw inspiration from salt satyagraha held in 1930 and take up a sustained struggle to pressure the Union government to withdraw the draconian taxes.”

Theatre activist Prasanna said, “For the first time in Independent India, handicrafts and several agriculture produce have been brought under tax ambit. The farmers and the artisans from across the country should start defying tax. The campaign, which was kick-started at Junjappanagudde should spread across the country,” he said. The convention passed three resolutions: Zero tax on agriculture produce and handicrafts, imposing fines on the products which cause environmental pollution and adopting Vasudaiva Kutumbakam policy. A padayatra was taken out from Junjappanagudde to Kasturba Ashram in Arasikere to defy tax on handicrafts and agriculture produce.

The padayatra will reach the Ashram on October 2. S R Hiremath of Samaja Parivartana Samudaya, farmer leader Chukki Nanjundaswamy, Nagesh Hegde, Ravikrishna Reddy, C Yetiraju of Grama Seva Sangha, Yellappa Reddy, Raghunandan, Shashidhar Baregal, K S Vimala, Purnima, R V Puttakamanna, Naduru Kenchappa, Abhilash, Chandan Gowda were present.