According to him, tea planters’ associations have time and again told the Centre about their problems and sought a TDS waiver. According to the source, on paper a 2 per cent tax may not look a huge amount but for the ailing tea gardens it is resulting in an additional burden. “Had the plan of creating proper banking infrastructure in tea gardens been implemented, we would not have demanded a waiver,” the source said. A flurry of activity followed and meetings were held to facilitate the process in tea gardens. It was agreed that banks would set up infrastructure, at least ATMs and micro ATMs, in tea gardens by March 31, 2017.

Source: The Telegraph October 19, 2019 19:30 UTC