Indian Jewelers, who have been protesting proposed higher taxation, have held a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi to stress their demand for the removal of excise duty on unbranded jewellery.

All India Swarankar Sangh president Madhukar Chachad said that they urhed Mrs. Gandhi to tell the government to scrap plans to impose excise duty on unbranded jewellery and also reduce customs duty and lower TDS on sale of jewellery.

India’s union Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has already said that he would review the proposal to impose excise duty on unbranded jewellery in the country following days of protests by jewelers.

Jewelers in the country have been protesting against the decision to introduce two per cent additional tax on gold in the union budget that was presented on 16 March 2012.

The government is planning to impose 1 per cent excise duty on non-branded gold jewellery besides doubling the import duty on gold to 4 per cent.

Mukherjee had announced his decision to increase the duty on gold imports to 4 per cent in the country with effect from the next financial year. Experts say that unbranded gold ornaments will become more expensive by about Rs
1,000 per 10 grams due to the budget proposal to impose the excise duty.

Chachad also said that Mrs. Gandhi assured that the demands will be forwarded to the Finance ministry for further action on the matter.