New Delhi, April 22: A Ficci report on retail has suggested industry status and easier FDI rules for the sector.

The industry chamber also sought a simpler tax structure, elimination of multiple licences and a single window clearance system for the sector.

Ficci secretary general Amit Mitra said there should be one common market in the country and a uniform VAT for all the states. He said the chamber would discuss the FDI limit in retail with the government on the basis of the report by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations.

The chamber said the goods and service tax (GST) should not exceed 20 per cent and the excise duty should be cut to 14 per cent from 16 per cent. It also sought 100 per cent tax break for at least 10 years in cold chain infrastructure.

A rise in disposable income has led to a retail boom in the country. The size of the organised and unorganised retail sector in India is $328 billion.

The report has predicted that organised retail would grow 22 per cent in the next three years. It said by 2010, Indian retail would be a $427-billion industry and by 2011, the country would see a combined investment of $30 billion by domestic and foreign players.

However, almost 92 per cent of the investment would take place in the urban areas, the report said. Apart from big players such as the Tatas, the RPG group, the Rahejas and the Reliance group, MNCs are also interested in the sector.