Mumbai’s traders, shopkeepers and their associations seem to be at their wits’ end. Their ultimatum is clear: forget about the Local Body Tax (LBT), or see us gradually shift to the neighbouring state of Gujarat because conducting business is becoming difficult here.

The Federation of Retail Traders’ Welfare Association (FRTWA), and the Retailers and Wholesellers Federation have called for a strike to protest LBT. Some traders say they will sit on an indefinite strike, whereas others will go on strike for 48 hours in the rest of Maharashtra. The expected losses will be around Rs 500 crore for Mumbai alone on Monday, and is likely to cross more than Rs 2,500 crore for the rest of the state.