Bengaluru: ‘No Milk, Only Black Tea Available’ as Bakeries Suspend Milk Sales In Protest Over GST Notices

Owners of hundreds of bakeries, condiments and tea shops in Bengaluru on Wednesday stopped selling milk, curd, coffee and tea to protest against the GST notices served on them. As a result, several households had to run from shop to shop to buy milk during the morning hours.

Several bakeries, condiment stores, and tea stalls across the city have put up signs reading "No Tea, No Coffee - Only Lemon Tea and Black Tea Available." This move is aimed at expressing discontent with what traders describe as "burdensome and unjustified GST tax notices" sent to small businesses.

The shop owners also wore black badges to express their resentment.

Meanwhile, a huge protest has been organised by the shop owners in Bengaluru on Thursday (July 24) at the Freedom Park, demanding withdrawal of the notices and also forgoing the GST dues running into lakhs.

Some traders say, "Even if we face losses for two days, it is worth it. We work hard all year, and GST demands are eating away at our earnings. Small traders are being unfairly targeted."

Thousands of small business owners across Karnataka have received GST notices asking them to pay tax arrears since 2020-21 that ranged from Rs 40 lakh to over Rs 2 crore, triggering panic and fears of business closure. In Bengaluru alone, over 5,500 owners, whose annual transactions exceeded Rs 40 lakh, have received notices.

The BJP also accused the state Congress Government of trying to derail the widely appreciated digital payment system to bring a bad name to the Central Government.

Thousands of shop owners have stopped receiving payments through UPIs (Unified Payments Interface) after they received notices.

The protesting traders argue that the GST notices have disproportionately affected small vendors, particularly bakeries and local eateries. They have appealed to the government to either withdraw or revise the tax demands to reflect ground realities.