The leadership of dairy processors, co-ops, and farmers’ organisations have risen in protest against proposals from the government that GST (General Sales Tax) rates levied on dairy equipment and materials be increased from 12% to 18% while processed dairy products including curd, lassi and butter should attract a 5% rate for the first time. The Narendra Modhi BJP federal government has been increasingly extending the scope of taxation and regulation to include small scale farmers who form the great majority of current dairy suppliers. The country previously witnessed major protests by farmers in 2020-21 against 3 Farm Acts. The AIKS farmer group said the GST regime in the last five years has led to fiscal policies that favour the class interests of finance and monopoly houses at the cost of poor peasants and small entrepreneurs.
This post was originally published on https://app.vespertool.com/vegetable-oil/news, written by Barry Wilson’s Dairy Industry Newsletter.
