AGARTALA, Oct 3 (TIWN): Customers in Tripura are facing hard times due to the sudden price hike of fruits and various other items ahead of Laxmi puja. TIWN visited various fruit shops across Agartala on Tuesday morning but the market has been burning with massive price hikes. Asking the vendors regarding the price-hike's cause, they said, "It's because of GST". However, such situations are often faced by the public when they are buying products in Tripura. From restaurant to Big-Bazar like shops everywhere GST has been misusing. In the cash-memo of Big-Bazar all kinds of taxes are kept but this is not enough they separately write : "GST extra charge Rs.x", which is not only illegal but violation of consumers rights.

Tripura Govt has also been silent over such illegal activities, putting all blames upon the Central govt. From opposition BJP also the response to aware the consumers are not at all satisfactory.

Awareness, home to home paper distributions to let people know about consumers rights on GST is yet awaiting resulting mass suffering. However, a source said that a case to be filed against Big Bazar by a consumer who was forced to give extra money for GST-purpose during Durga puja. 

People till day has been confused about the GST-issue. GST is nothing, but a common tax system that the shop-keepers have to give as the revenue per year. Till day maximum people without giving taxes were doing free business, but now they have to give taxes. But it has no link with price hike as customers were already giving taxes with MRPs of products, now it's just the time that the businessmen have to give taxes for nation's development and as per Taxation-guidelines. 

Most importantly, Tripura businessmen earlier had to give taxes in various check posts while carrying products----but now they are giving only 1 time tax. Then why this sudden price hike ? Some restaurants hearing about Tripura Govt approved GST immediately increased its food items prices by 15-20 rupees but in that way they are doing just illegal activities and trying to fool the common people.