Halla Bol: Traders protest against MDR, QR codes in shops covered with black cloth

On October 2, 79 trade associations, including Trade Development Assoc., Hathikhana Market, staged protests against the 0.4 per cent MDR on UPI. The traders covered the QR code with black cloth. Traders gathered at Raopura to protest with UPI Day posters. On the other hand, the street vendors accepted payment from UPI. Around 600 trade unions from the state joined the protest. Notably, there will be no charge on person-to-person and merchant payments up to Rs 2,000. On merchant payments above Rs 2,000, 0.4 per cent MDR has been fixed. MDR charges should be levied on transactions as large as Rs 25,000-50,000 The government has asked to charge Rs 2,000. Even ordinary families spend Rs 2,000 if they come to shop. The government does not say whether 18 per cent GST will be imposed with 0.4 per cent. The government should impose MDR on large transactions like 25,000-50 thousand. > Bharat Chauhan, Secretary, Vadodara Footwear Merchants Association The margin of the small trader will have to be one and a half to two per cent, half of the pocket will have to be paid On October 15, the government has decided to charge MDR on UPI. On one transaction, 0.40 percent and 18 percent GST will be charged. If the margin of a small trader is one and a half to two percent, half of it will have to be paid from the pocket as bank charges. > Paresh Parikh, President, Business Development Association. Cash will be transacted during Navratri-Diwali, the burden of MDR will be passed on to the customer Paresh Parikh of the Trade Development Association said that if the government does not make any changes in the decision, then traders will transact only in cash during the upcoming Navratri and Diwali festivals. When UPI accepts payments, the burden of 0.4 per cent that the merchant has to pay to the government will also be passed on to the customer. It is worth mentioning that on September 30, a meeting was held with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman by leading traders. At that time, the government had also assured to take an appropriate decision on the issue.