Expedite release of ROSL pending claims: TEA to Centre

The Tiruppur Exporters' Association (TEA) has again urged Union textiles minister Smriti Irani to expedite releasing Rebate on State Levies (ROSL) pending claims. The ministry of textiles had announced ROSL in lieu of Value Added Tax (VAT) while releasing the special package for apparel sector and the scheme came into effect from September 20, 2016.

As per the scheme, the Central government had taken into consideration all the taxes paid by the exporters, like VAT, electricity duty, octroi, entry tax and more, and it is to be noted that some of the taxes like electricity duty, octroi and entry tax were not being refunded earlier to the exporters. 

The ROSL rate for the respective garment items exported varies from 2.65 per cent to 3.9 per cent, said TEA in a press release.

Raja M Shanmugham, president of TEA said that ROSL has been pending for more than nine months for most of the garment exporting units and only a few units got the ROSL amount partially till December month.

The total ROSL amount for all India readymade garment exports (woven and knitwear) estimated for the period September 20, 2016 to June 20, 2017 is Rs 3,025 crore and out of this, till date only Rs 400 crore has been disbursed and the balance to be given is Rs 2,625 crore.

He said for Tirupur exporting units alone the ROSL amount pending is about Rs 550 crore. Though in the Union Budget 2017-18, Rs 1,555 crore was allotted for ROSL claim, till date it has not been disbursed, added Shanmugham.

He said representations have been made to textile minister, commerce minister, finance minister, MSME minister, road transport and highways, shipping minister, textile secretary, finance secretary, commerce secretary, DGFT, joint secretary (drawback), PMO and NITI Aayog to help for releasing the ROSL pending claim.