Bhopal – Welcoming Ganpati might be harder in the pocket after the implementation of GST. The artisans who are into idol making said that the cost of making idols has gone up due to the new tax system. The idols makers have not other options but to get the extra charge from the customers.
GST has been implemented on 1st of July. This has been before the idol makers started their work of idol making or collecting materials for the idols. Everything from bamboo to wood has seen a price hike, and therefore, the idols will also cost more this year.
According to the artisans, the hike would be around 40% this year. This way the idol which had cost ₹ 10,000 of the previous year would cost ₹ 14,000 this year. Even though an idol which cost ₹ 10,000 brings a profit of ₹ 3,000 the artisans still are worried about the price hike. They say the hike would undoubtedly affect their sale.
An artisan said that the customers would not buy the bigger idols due to a price hike. This would influence the overall profit. The buyers proved the concern of the artisans correct by saying that with the price hike they would buy smaller idols.
Some customers, however, stated that a price hike is an ordinary event and it happens every year. They had been preparing for the hike this year too.
