Traders today raised doubts over what the government's decision to implement value-added tax from April 1, 2005, would mean for them.
They said there were many issues, which had to be sorted out at the ground level before VAT could be implemented. Traders have threatened "a march to Parliament" on December 16 to protest VAT's implementation.
The traders expressed concern as the empowered committee of state finance ministers under the chairmanship of West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta maintained that the deadline would be met.
After the first meeting of the consultative panel on VAT, set up by the empowered committee, Dasgupta said: "This was the first meeting with trade associations. The meeting has been very positive. We will meet again in 15 days."
Asked if the deadline would be met even if Uttar Pradesh did not implement VAT, Dasgupta said: "The meeting with UP officials and traders on December 4 at Kolkata was very positive. There are some ground-level problems, which they have raised and we are talking to them. The VAT concept as a whole is acceptable to them."