It is a troublesome twelve for retailers as garments and footwear will become pricier with the GST rates on these hiked from 5 to 12 per cent, effective from January 1, 2022. As consumers are already struggling in these times and will wince from the pinch, traders have sent an avalanche of communication and representations to the government and GST Council seeking a rollback.

Paperwork piles

Sandip Shah, vice-president of Engineering and Industrial Store Merchants Association (EISMA), said, “Though this may not affect me directly as I do not retail garments and footwear, we still do fall under the traders umbrella. This decision of a jump in taxes is absolutely wrong. The problem is that decisions are taken without consulting the affected party, in this case, the traders. Do we have to take to the streets like the farmers did during their recent agitation?”