Jewellers strike enters 18th day over excise duty

New Delhi: The strike by jewellers and bullion traders continued for the 18th straight day today demanding rollback of the proposed excise duty on non-silver jewellery.

Most jewellery shops and establishments in the country have been on strike since March 2 after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget announced one per cent excise duty on non-silver jewellery.

Jewellers are also opposed to mandatory quoting of PAN by customers for transactions of Rs 2 lakh and above.

Meanwhile, in a bid to calm the frayed nerves of agitating jewellers, the finance ministry yesterday said artisans and job workers will not have to pay this levy.