As many as 70,000 indirect tax officials are upset with decisions taken by the Goods and Services Tax Council, and announced they will start a non-cooperation movement, PTI reported on Wednesday. The decision came after a meeting was held on Wednesday between representatives of Indian Revenue Service, All India Association of Central Excise Gazetted Executive Officers, All India Central Excise Inspectors’ Association and All India Central Excise and Service Tax Ministerial Officers Association.

The associations said their members were “highly disappointed” and even felt cheated over the recent decisions made by the GST Council, led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. On January 16, the Council had agreed that the states will assess 90% of all GST turnovers of Rs 1.5 crore or less, while the rest will be assessed by the Centre’s administrative machinery.

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“We feel that the decision shall weaken the Centre’s ability to ensure its revenues. The decision will not only adversely affect the career of revenue officers but it is not in national interest,” the associations said according to PTI. They further requested authorities to take necessary action and defer the unjustified decision of GST council “taken under pressure of state VAT officers”.

If their demands are not met, the associations said they will initiate “non-cooperation movement following Gandhian methods of Satyagraha”. As a mark of protest, the employee associations will observe black day on January 30, i.e., Martyrs’ Day, and will also refrain from celebrating international customs day on Friday.

The introduction of the GST was deferred to July 1 from the earlier April 1 deadline during the Council meet on January 16. The draft laws were set to be introduced in Parliament during the Winter Session, but the Centre will probably place them for discussion during the Budget Session, which starts next week.