A popular luxury hotel in India’s Chandigarh city has invited an unexpected tax probe after a Bollywood actor complained of being charged an exorbitant price for two bananas, a tax-free item as per the law of the land.
The actor, known for his popular films "Mr and Mrs Iyer", "Pyar Ke Side Effects", and "Chameli" shared the banana video clip satirically with a hashtag "How to go fit and broke".
— Rahul Bose (@RahulBose1) July 22, 2019
The video went viral in Chandigarh, drawing the attention of Mandip Singh Brar, deputy commissioner and excise and taxation commissioner in Chandigarh, who has ordered a probe into the case for charging exorbitant tax on the non-taxable item.
"Taking cognisance of the video and bill posted by the actor, I have ordered an investigation. I have directed Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner (AETC) Rajeev Chaudhary to conduct a thorough probe on how the hotel had charged GST on fresh fruits. Strict action will be taken if found guilty", Brar told an Indian news website.
Appalled by the whole incident, the Twitterati whole-heartedly came out in support of the actor, while sharing their personal harrowing experiences as well.
— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) July 24, 2019
— Prathamesh Avachare (@onlyprathamesh) July 24, 2019
— KitKat (@Dads_Ggirl) July 26, 2019
— AB de Villager (@ABdeVillager17) July 25, 2019
Some creative individuals went a step further and made ad campaigns about the incident.
— breviSTAY (@mybrevistay) July 26, 2019
— Einfach Digital (@Einfach_digital) July 26, 2019
