Chandigarh, July 27: The excise authorities in Chandigarh have cracked the whip on luxury hotel JW Marriott's branch in the city, which had levied GST on two bananas ordered by a customer. Under the Goods and Services Tax rules, fresh fruits are exempted from taxation. For violating the norm, the hotel has been slapped with a fine of Rs 25,000.

The decision to impose a fine was taken after a preliminary probe, conducted by Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner (AETC) Rajeev Chaudhary, found the hotel to have violated the rule by levying tax on an exempted food item. Video: Rahul Gandhi Rants Against JW Marriott For Exorbitant Banana Price

The hotel was yet to issue a statement after being slapped with the fine by Chandigarh excise department.

Update by ANI:

Notably, the complaint against JW Marriott was raised by Rahul Bose on social media, where he uploaded a video to mark his angst against the hotel for charging Rs 442 for two pieces of banana.

Video Uploaded by Rahul Bose:

The copy of bill which he flashed in the video showed IGST levied on the banana order. Taking cognizance, Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner and Excise and Taxation Commissioner Mandip Singh Brar had ordered a probe into the matter.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 27, 2019 11:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).