Taxes have nearly doubled for furniture and plywood manufacturers after the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax or GST. At 28 per cent, general furniture and plywood goods, earlier taxed between 12 per cent and 14 per cent, now fall in the highest tax bracket. There are over 3,000 plywood manufacturing units in the country, with over 300 located in Punjab that employ some 40,000 people directly. A majority of the plywood and furniture manufacturers come under the category of small and medium enterprises or SMEs; however, the manufacturers say taxing furniture as a luxury product has put a lot of strain on their finances.
