Federation of Association of Maharashtra (FAM), a traders' body, today asked NCP chief and Union Minister Sharad Pawar to intervene to resolve the imbroglio over local body tax (LBT).
Traders are on strike in various cities of Maharashtra to protest against the new tax.
"We met Sharad Pawar today and he assured us his support. He has spoken with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on the issue," FAM President Mohan Gurnani told PTI.
Pawar would meet Chavan on May 24, he said. "We expect some positive solution will emerge from this meeting."
LBT is an account-based tax, and will be charged for every raw-material used or imported into the city limits by all businesses, traders and manufacturers. It seeks to replace octroi, which causes bottlenecks in goods flow.
It was introduced in Kolhapur, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Vasai-Virar from April one. It will come into effect in Mumbai from October one.
Traders are up in the arms against the new tax, fearing cumbersome account-keeping process and potential official harassment.
