Oppn, NDA ally pick holes in GST

With the new tax regime — GST — being launched from midnight on June 30, not merely the Opposition but the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an RSS affiliate has found faultlines in the much-hyped policy.

On Wednesday the SJM claimed that “due care has not been taken to keep rates low for commodities being produced by smallscale industries.”

Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee also declared in Kolkata that her party “will not attend” the GST rollout programme on June 30 midnight.

Virtually poking holes in the Centre’s “Sab ke sabka vikas” slogan, national co-convener of the SJM Dr Ashwani Mahajan claimed that while deciding about the rates of GST, “due care has not been taken to keep rates low for commodities being produced by SSIs and providing huge employment”.

Dr Mahajan pointed out that small-scale industries which include manufacturers of beedi, crackers, beverages, biscuits, pickles, confectionery, scissors and host of other products would “attract higher rates of GST, which is likely to affect their competitiveness”.

With the new tax regime — GST — being launched from midnight on June 30, not merely the Opposition but the the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an RSS affiliate has found faultlines in the much-hyped policy.

National co-convener of the SJM Dr Ashwani Mahajan reminded that a large number of SSIs and traders organisations, belonging to different sectors, commodities and regions have been opposing GST in its present form and rates of GST.

He further argued that the SSIs “despite various disadvantages have been giving tough competition to Chinese onslaught. If new tax regime works against their interests, influx of Chinese products will increase, causing huge balance of payment deficit.”

Meanwhile, in Kolkata, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced that her party “will not attend the GST roll-out programme on June 30 midnight”. She targeted the move and said that the Centre was in an “unnecessary hurry” to roll it out. For her the GST was going to be an “epic blunder”.