VIJAYAWADA: The Paper Merchants Welfare Association has demanded that the GST on paper, currently ranging from 12 per cent to 18 per cent, be reduced to 5 per cent, stating that paper is an essential commodity and not a luxury item.
The demand was raised at the Association’s 41st general body meeting held in Vijayawada on Sunday, where paper merchants and representatives from all 26 districts participated. AP NGGO State president K Vidya Sagar also present. Y.L. Kantha Rao was unanimously elected as the new State president of the Association.
Speaking on the occasion, Kantha Rao said paper was essential for education and several other activities and urged the government to reduce the tax burden on the commodity. Pointing out that notebooks attract zero GST, he said paper should also be brought under a lower tax slab.
Former president M.T. Arasu and vice-president Chandrasekhar Reddy said the association would undertake service activities for devotees and pilgrims during the upcoming Krishna and Godavari Pushkarams. They also said suitable sites on the outskirts of Vijayawada would be identified for warehouses.