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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Cargo stuck in Oman due to India’s new tax

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Muscat, July 17 - The cargo that the expatriate Indians living in Oman sent home weeks ago is stuck in transit due to tax bottlenecks in their country.


India introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1 which scraps the free cargo allowance of Rs 20,000 (RO 114 approx) whose benefit the cargo companies worldwide were enjoying earlier.


The new law also asks them to pay an additional tax, which is about 41 per cent of the cargo value.


“I sent a consignment two weeks ago to Kerala for my daughter’s wedding (July 21), but I’m shocked it hasn’t reached yet,” said an elderly expatriate in Ruwi.


Although many cargo agents have paid the additional tax, some are apparently taking advantage of the undue situation.


“I sent a consignment three weeks ago and went to India last week. When I found the cargo hadn’t reached home, I called up the agent who is now asking me to pay the new tax,” a customer said in a WhatsApp message from home.


Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court asked cargo companies to approach the government regarding the cargo stuck at Indian airports, said a recent report.


“We submitted a mass petition signed by most of the cargo agents to the authorities in Delhi. We also met the embassy officials here and discussed the situation,” officials from Rajab Cargo and Namaani Cargo told the Observer.


KABEER YOUSUF


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