K'taka govt urges PM to abolish 18% GST on health insurance premiums

The Karnataka government on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to advise the GST Council, which is set to meet on September nine, to abolish the 18 per cent tax on health insurance premiums. "Ensuring a healthy India is a duty of every elected representative, beyond party lines. Imposing 18 per cent GST on health insurance is a regressive move, making healthcare less accessible to the common man," the state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said. "I have appealed to Prime Minister @narendramodi to take immediate action, advising the GST council to exempt health insurance premiums from GST. It's high time we prioritise the well-being of our citizens," he said in a post on 'X'. Rao said the GST on health insurance is in one of the highest brackets of taxation at 18 per cent and has been so since 2017 despite several protests from all stakeholders including politicians and policy makers across the board. "A GST so high on what is an essential service/necessity, especially in a p