Octroi committee formed in Pune

In a bid to appease the long pending demand of city traders here, TC Benjamin, Pune Municipal Commissioner has formed a committee to recommend ways and means of reducing Octroi without affecting the revenue generated by Octroi-paid products.

Sham Bhandari, President, Computer and Media Dealers Association (CMDA), Pune, said that the committee would look into various methods to reduce Octroi. The committee is expected to submit its report in a time frame of four months.

The committee set up by the PMC consists of traders, distributors and PMC officials. The committee is a result of a recent meeting called by the municipal commissioner with representatives of around 40 different trade associations. Its recommendations will seek to remove the hassles faced by traders at Octroi collection centers, check into incidences of corruption and ensure proper verification of related documents.

The city traders have been demanding the reduction of Octroi from the current three percent to one percent for the past two months. The association has also demanded the bifurcation of IT products from the rest. Currently, IT products are clubbed with electronic goods. Bhandari said that although nothing had been resolved as yet, work would begin soon on bifurcating IT products.

CMDA is also part of the IT task force set up by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), that hopes to sell Pune at the global level.

Cyber News Service