By IANS
Jaipur : Rajasthan’s marble stone units have requested the state government to roll back the recent increase in royalty rates, claiming the hike will hit the industry hard.
The government has raised the royalty rates on marble blocks by an average of 75 per cent. It has also proposed different royalty rates for various regions of the state.
“This increase in royalty would hit the industry hard,” Ashok Kumar Dhoot, coordinator of the All Rajasthan Marble and Stone Association, told reporters here Monday.
Rajasthan is the hub of stone mining in India, accounting for approximately 65 per cent of the country’s stone production. The desert state also accounts for over 90 per cent of the country’s marble, sandstone and slate production.
“The royalty rates should be lowered and they should be the same all over the state,” he said, adding: “We have already presented a memorandum to the chief minister in this regard.”
Dhoot said that the industry was already in crisis after the increase in diesel prices and labour rates along with the growing competition from vitrified tiles.
The industry has also opposed the central government’s decision to increase the marble import quota from 130,000 tonnes to 195,000 tonnes a year.
Dhoot said any increase in imports would affect the domestic industry, which employs over one million people in the state.
The industry association also requested the state government to lower the value added tax (VAT) rates on marble slabs from 12.5 per cent to 4 per cent.
“We have assured the government that there will be no decline in the tax collection after the lowering of tax rates,” Dhoot added.