‘Where were these reforms when millions suffered?’: Opposition on GST rate changes

Opposition leaders on Thursday questioned the eight-year delay in revising the Goods and Services Tax slabs, asking why the reform was not introduced “when millions suffered”.

The GST Council cleared a new slab structure on Wednesday, revamping it into a primarily two-rate system from the current four-tiered one.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore criticised the Union government’s decision, stating that the measures came after eight years of economic strain on small traders, micro, small and medium enterprises, farmers, women entrepreneurs and the middle class.

The GST system took effect in July 2017, replacing several indirect taxes such as the Value Added Tax, the Central Excise Duty.

Tagore noted that his party colleagues, including leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, had previously raised concerns about the GST in its current form having not delivered the intended benefits of tax simplification and uniformity.

The Congress manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections had outlined an alternative GST framework that was “a single, moderate rate, an end to cess-raj, relief for the poor, equitable federal sharing, and taxpayer-friendly reforms”, Tagore said on social media.

He also questioned the timing of the Union government’s reforms, noting that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had previously refused to acknowledge problems with the current GST framework.

“Where were these reforms when millions suffered?” Tagore asked.

Congress leader...

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