Bhubaneswar: In the wake of nation-wide implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) July 1, the state government Tuesday directed the district collectors to ensure reduction of market prices of kitchen essentials to help consumers avail the benefits of the tax reform.
Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FSCW) additional secretary AK Bhuyan in a letter to the collectors said commodities like paddy, rice, flour, maida, suji, wheat, pulses and gur have been exempted from GST, except when sold in unit-containers bearing a registered brand name.
“Rice, maida, suji and wheat are taxable at 5 per cent if sold in unit containers bearing registered brand names. Hence, there should be reduction of prices of aforesaid commodities in the present situation,” the official said to the collectors in his letter.
The FSCW department has asked the collectors to instruct Civil Supplies and Market Intelligence executive staff of their districts to ensure reduction of prices of these commodities in the wake of implementation of GST.
While the department has sought necessary compliance report from the collectors in this regard at the earliest, it has also asked the Orissa Byabasayee Mahasangha and other traders’ associations to instruct its members in all districts to ensure reduction of prices of these commodities and intimate about the action taken immediately.
Notably, post GST implementation, the state government has lifted the restriction on stock holding limits of pulses, edible oilseeds and edible oils.
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