Mysore/Mysuru: Industrialists and social workers have taken strong objection to selling of plastic and household articles on footpath without paying tax and urged the District Administration to take action in this regard. Suresh Kumar Jain, General Secretary, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Council, said if household articles and plastic items were allowed to sell on footpaths without paying tax to the State and the Union Governments, why they should run factory, remit tax to Government and give salary to employees. Repeated appeals made to the District Administration to stop this trade has not yielded results, he regretted.

He told SOM that those articles were sold on footpaths across the city with no check by Traffic Cops, Commercial Taxes and Mysuru City Corporation officials. The sellers don’t pay GST or other taxes. A few non-Kannada speaking youths sell a pair of plastic chair for Rs.750 to Rs.800. Such traders are found in front of Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha on JLB Road, Nanjumalige Circle, Bannimantap, Valmiki Road, Mysuru-Hunsur Road, various roads in Vijayanagar extension, Bengaluru Road, Nanjangud Road, KRS Road, Gaddige Road and on other busy streets. The authorities concerned must check this trade without any mercy, he added.

“We are not against the sale of agricultural produces on footpaths but do not tolerate other items which are sold on footpaths without paying any tax to the Governments,” Jain added.

“Sale of items manufactured by small industries is affected due to allowing plastic and other items to be sold on footpaths without paying tax. Who will be responsible if micro industries are closed and employees are thrown out of job ?”—B.N. Nagendra, Social Worker