Traders in Tiruppur down shutters against hike in property tax, power tariff and GST on rents

Traders in Tiruppur protest steep tax hikes, power tariff increase, and GST on shop rents, causing significant economic impact.

Traders in Tiruppur, Avinashi and Palladam taluks downed shutters on Wednesday in protest against the steep hike in property tax, electricity tariff and GST on shop rents.

K.C.M. Duraisamy of Tiruppur Traders Association said the hike in property tax by Tiruppur Corporation, GST on shop rents and power tariff hike have put traders to untold hardship.

Grocery shops, eateries, hotels, mess, bakery, textile shops, cell phone shops, electrical shops and stationery shops remained closed in Tiruppur, Avinashi, Perumanallur, Dharapuram, Palladam and Uthukuli. Traders also tied black flags in front of their shops. Barring DMK, all other political parties had extended support to the strike.

Khaderpet, the apparel export hub, also witnessed the closure of shops. Loss on account of Wednesday’s total hartal is estimated to be around ₹50 crore. All the 300 shops in Tiruppur Cotton Market, daily shandy also remained closed.

Hosiery associations also took part in the strike downing the shutters of over 2,000 shops, affecting trade to the tune of ₹100 crore, causing a loss of ₹25 crore tax revenue.