PANJIM: The circular by the Commissioner of Commercial Taxes appealing to make the State cashless by Dec 31, has set the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons. It has caused the local market to react with bewilderment, anger and irritation.
Prasad Tamba, president, Chemist and Druggist Association of Goa said, “The executive committee is expected to meet sometime this week and we will then decide as to what needs to be done.” Tamba was not willing to speculate as to what the association would decide.
The president of the Margao Vyapar Sangathan, Devdas Borkar, admitted to not being aware of the circular and said it could have major ramifications. He said a meeting with the senior officials at the Sales Tax Department was on his to do list for Tuesday since it could affect the bottom line.
Vinod Shirodkar of Margao Market Vendors’ Association said, “We had a very honest conversation with the sales tax officials and the bankers when they came to meet us. We explained to them that this was a very important season for us given that Christmas was just around the corner and most of the people who come to shop at our outlets don’t usually carry a debit or credit card. This would mean us having to turn away business which we cannot afford to do. Everyone is, however, keen on buying the machines that will accentuate cashless transactions. We told them, we would like to go cashless in the New Year once we were done with the season.”
Gurudas Tirodkar of the Vasco Market Sangh said members of his sangh were aware of the notification and were presently talking to various banks. Tirodkar said, “We told the banks we want it free and we don’t want to be charged Rs 1,200 for some unstated fee at a later stage. We requested them to give us an alternative offer if they had something else in mind. We know this is the future but we have to secure our future too.”
