Trichy: Merchants and vendors involved in dried fish trade across the country have suspended selling the value added product ever since the Union government launched GST on July 1. Unlike VAT, the GST council has fixed 5 per cent as tax for all the dried fish, salted fish, and smoked fish irrespective of whether they are perishable or not. They have decided to continue their stir till the 5 per cent GST rate is withdrawn.Hundreds of merchants and vendors across the coastal districts including Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Chennai, Rameshwaram and Thoothukudi converged in Trichy to chart out ways to break out from the clutches of GST, under the banner of Trichy Dry fish Mundy Merchants Association here on Thursday."Since Independence, no government has imposed such kind of tax on salt and dry fishes which are perishable. But, as per GST number 3 and 5, all dry fishes such as Karal, Neimeen, Nethili, Panna, Koduva and Kelanga have been brought under the GST net by imposing 5 per cent," said N P K Nazim, coordinator of the association."Earlier, VAT was only imposed on branded and pocketed dry fish. The majority of the vendors are women. Their only livelihood has become unstable after the launch of GST. To safeguard 1,500 merchants, lakhs of vendors have been left in the lurch as they don't know on what basis the 5 per cent should be applied and who should it be imposed on," Nazim said."Despite the representation submitted to finance minister Arun Jaitely and state fisheries minister D Jayakumar, nothing fructified," he added.Speaking to TOI, Sivaranjani, a dry fish vendor from Nagapattinam, told that they have to pay extra money while purchasing dry fish from the merchants. The rate would be nominal only during power cuts and late arrival of fish from the sea."Stating that they are officials many people approach us and ask to pay more money as GST. We do not know whether they are officials or not", she added.

Stay updated with all the Latest Trichy headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.