Mumbai, July 11 -- In a coordinated collective stand, over 20,000 bars and permit rooms across Maharashtra will shut operations on July 14 as part of a statewide bandh called by the Association of Hotels and Restaurants (AHAR).
The bandh is in protest against the Maharashtra government's "relentless and unjust" tax hikes on the hospitality sector, which AHAR says are pushing the Rs 1.5 lakh crore industry to the edge of collapse.
The move comes after repeated appeals by the industry were met with silence, forcing AHAR to take the extreme step in what it describes as a battle for survival.
AHAR is protesting against VAT on liquor hiked from 5% to 10%, a 15% increase in annual license fees and a 60% spike in excise duty in a span of one ...