Lottery businesses up in arms over new GST

Over 100,000 lottery traders from across Maharashtra staged a day-long protest on Monday against the 28 percent GST on online lotteries, according to reports from local media.

The protesters have argued that the new GST will adversely affect their lottery business, and have demanded to have the levy on tickets to be fixed at 12 percent.

Convener of the Samiti Snehal Shah said, "Online lottery business caters to a lot of poor, differently-abled, widows and those not very educated."

"The 28 per cent GST imposed on face value of lottery has adversely impacted the online lottery business. The business has reduced to 25 per cent of what it was before the GST came into force on July 1.”

Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar, who met with the protesters, said their demands would be taken seriously.

Speaking to Times of India, Shelar said, "We are taking their demands seriously and I will arrange their meetings with government functionaries as well as the finance minister."

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