Thread by @murtuzi

Ease of doing business in India is a joke.

If you are a new biz owner, I suggest you to not start a biz here, if you are a foreign company, I suggest you to not setup shop in India.

Give me 5 minutes of your time and I will explain.

@socialepfo @GST_Council @byadavbjp @minmsme

I run a small biz since a few years, currently employing 55+ people fulltime in our office in a tier 3 town in MP.

I moved from a proprietary biz setup to a pvt ltd in 2020 Aug.

@LabourMinistry @EPFOBhopal @blitzkreigm @annkur

I applied to shut down my GST & EPFO no. in Aug / sept 2020, I applied via a physical letter in EPFO office in Indore, aswell online (website and email both).
To which I received no response in the last 14 months.

I got new epfo and gst no. for the new pvt ltd firm in sept 2020.

Keep in mind the SS above boasts that you can get a EPFO no. online without a visit to epfo office (same with gst).

epfindia.gov.in/site_docs/PDFs…

I have email copies of my closure request emails, aswell as GST portal has details of how many times I applied for closure of GST no.

Now suddenly one day an EPFO officer shows up in my office asking for why I haven't paid for EPFO dues for the last 14 months, to which I showed him the closure details of the old proprietary company, PF number and gst closure application details.

and the fact that we are paying gst & PF from the new pvt ltd for our employees on time regularly & I asked his help to close the old PF no.

He requested a few docs from me, and to bring those to his office 75 km away from my town.

@narendramodi @PMOIndia

Now suddenly after submitting all docs, he points out a few technical disparities in our EPF paperwork dated back in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and is asking me to pay a fine of 3.25L rs.

Mind you, this is a fine for a company that I have shut down.

About the @GST_Council number I had to continue filing nil since the closure is not getting processed online and the gst officers insists I come and "see" him in Khandwa (75 km one way journey) to sort out some paperwork. I wonder what kinda paper he wants me to sort out for him.

Keep in mind my conversation with him happened around wave 2 of COVID and the gst person wanted me to still travel to come and meet him.

I am an honest SME owner providing full time employment to a respectable number of people.

I pay company tax, personal tax, gst, and brings crores of forex to India.

And this is how I get treated? Like as if I have done something wrong by setting up a KPO unit in #Burhanpur

I request EPFO office / GST office / Labour ministry to sort this for SMEs.

The govt. is not there to help MSME but annoy them and put roadblocks in the country's progress.

I feel stupid to have thought of starting a biz in a small town to provide employment. I am STUPID.

One more time something like this happens, and I'd shut down my biz. and live tweet the progress while shutting down the whole thing & that'd leave 55+ c/n employees unemployed, the onus will be on the govt. and useless governance, not me. I want to sleep with a clear conscience.

I wonder which states would want to take in an honest biz owner who brings forex, jobs, and tax.

I am very frustrated with running a business in India and face challenges every few days from some or the other dept.

@saurabh @KartikRaichura @AkshayiWeb

And no, I won't share my company name, or company registration number or my phone number here or to anyone via DM.

I don't want these crocked officers to ever visit my office.

I just wish the govt would do something to sort the mess out (while they can).

Had saved up some money to take my sister and her kids for a vacation in India when she comes to visit this summer, seems like someone else's family is going for vacation.

I don't know what / how to react to this, I just want to for once run a biz and not have to deal with this.

On the positive side, I got a thank you and was reassured about the work.

Said it'd be done in 4 - 5 days.

He is a courteous man. Jai hind. LOL.

I don't have anything to sell.

But please do consider reading this thread if you liked my previous thread.

https://twitter.com/murtuzi/status/1492123942399922176

11, 111, 211.

Haha 😂