Congress welcomes GST rate cuts, calls it partial acceptance of party’s demand

Kapurthala District Congress Committee president and Phagwara MLA, Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, on Sunday described the Centre’s recent Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate cuts as a “partial correction,” asserting that Congress has long advocated for what it calls “GST 2.0.”

Dhaliwal criticised the BJP government for “imposing a flawed GST in 2017,” which Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, had referred to as the “Gabbar Singh Tax.” He claimed that the scrapping of the 12 per cent and 28 per cent tax slabs signals that the Modi government has “finally surrendered” to Congress’s long-standing demands after eight years.

While outlining the goals of GST 2.0, Dhaliwal emphasised that it would simplify tax slabs, reduce tax evasion, ease compliance for MSMEs, and resolve classification disputes. He noted that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had belatedly acknowledged that the original GST framework was flawed.

Though the Congress leader welcomed the rate cuts, he cautioned that it remains to be seen whether the benefits will reach consumers and if GST 2.0 will truly ease burdens on industry and stimulate private investment.