The West Bengal government has sent a letter to the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee requesting him to withdraw the 10 percent excise duty that the Central Government has imposed on branded textile garments and the manufacturing sector.
Several small scale textile and hosiery garment producers in West Bengal would be greatly relieved if their government succeeds in getting the excise duty rolled back. It is because the State is a home to a large number of small-scale textiles, handlooms and handicraft firms, which are suffering losses since the duty was imposed.
Initially, the garment producers in Kolkata had observed strike against imposition of the excise duty. Subsequently, representatives of seven textile and hosiery associations from the State approached the State government with an appeal to help them.
The small-scale textile enterprises contribute a majority of the hosiery garment items produced in the State. These enterprises are suffering heavy losses since the announcement of the excise duty.