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The turnover of Indian commodity exchanges dropped 39 per cent to Rs 61.68 lakh crore last fiscal due to higher transaction costs and decline in prices of bullion and metals.
The business at these bourses was at Rs 101.44 lakh crore in the previous fiscal, 2013-14, according to the data released by the Forward Markets Commission (FMC).
The turnover of bullion fell by over 49 per cent to Rs 21.88 lakh crore in 2014-15, from Rs 43 lakh crore a year-ago.
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Similarly, the turnover of energy commodities declined by 34 per cent to Rs 16.46 lakh crore, from Rs 24.72 lakh crore, while that of metals dipped by 28 per cent to Rs 12.74 lakh crore from Rs 17.61 lakh crore in the review period.
The business from agricultural commodities also fell by 34 per cent to Rs 10.58 lakh crore in the 2014-15 fiscal, from Rs 16.02 lakh crore in 2013-14.
"The turnover has declined due to higher commodity transaction tax (CTT), which is in place since July 1, 2013. There has also been decline in prices of gold, silver and other metals," commodity brokerage SMC Comtrade Chairman and Managing Director D K Aggarwal said.
The CTT need to be scrapped sooner or later, else the sluggish turnover trend will continue this year as well, he added.
There are four national and six regional level exchanges operating in the country.
CTT is a tax levied on exchange-traded commodity derivatives in India on the lines of the Securities Transaction Tax.
Industry argues that CTT on commodity derivatives increases the cost of hedging transactions. Sellers have to pay 0.01 per cent tax, that is, Rs 10 for a transaction value of Rs 1 lakh.
