Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 4 Sep: The Bharatiya Janata Party has hailed the reduction in Goods and Services Tax rates announced by the Centre as “Diwali for the common person”. The party has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what it described as a historic decision.
Speaking informally to media persons at the BJP State Headquarters here today, State BJP President and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt asserted that by fulfilling the assurance made from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the PM had brought great relief to the people across the country. He asserted that most commodities and goods across various sectors would witness a record fall in prices as a consequence of this measure.
Bhatt observed that the sweeping cut in GST rates announced by the Union Government would effect a transformative change in the lives of ordinary citizens. He extended gratitude to Modi on behalf of the people of Uttarakhand for this step and lauded Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her stewardship under which, in the initial eight years, GST had fulfilled the vision of “One Nation, One Tax”. Recalling the PM’s announcement from the Red Fort that the people would receive a major gift before Diwali, he said that the promise has been fulfilled, bringing festive cheer to every household in the country.
The BJP MP claimed that the progress of the GST regime could be judged from the rise in the number of taxpayers from 66.5 lakhs in 2017 to 1.51 crores at present, while the revenue is registering an annual growth of 18 per cent. Against this backdrop, he termed the present rate reduction as unprecedented relief for the masses.
Bhatt further noted that the restructuring of the 28 per cent, 18 per cent and 5 per cent slabs to 0 per cent, 5 per cent and 18 per cent constitutes a welcome reform. He maintained that no section has been excluded from the ambit of these changes and that every segment of society would derive substantial relief. He reminded that the sectors positively affected by the revised rates include food and kitchen products, beverages, daily care items, household goods, student and education-related materials, medicines and medical equipment, farming and irrigation implements, vehicles, building materials, consumer electronics, sports articles, toys, and handicrafts.
