MPCC president Manikrao Thakre has demanded a rollback of the newly proposed purchase tax on cotton and oil seeds. In a letter written to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Thakre has said that the State Finance Minister Ajit Pawar, in his budget speech has proposed a new Purchase Tax worth 5 per cent on cotton and oil seeds. "There is already a provision of Value Added Tax (VAT) worth 5 per cent on these products.

This new provision will burden farmers and hence it must be abolished," he said. The Finance Minister has already taken a meeting and removed the same newly-introduced purchase tax on raisins and currants. Thakre has requested Chavan to convene a meeting to take an urgent decision on this issue. PTI MR NP