Bringing real estate under GST will be a ''disaster'': Congress

New Delhi, October 13

With the Centre mulling to bring real estate under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) ambit, the Congress on Friday said that the decision would prove to be a disaster.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said the issue of bringing real estate under the GST's ambit will be discussed in the next GST Council meeting to be held on November 9 in Guwahati.

Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Congress leader Raju Waghmare said, "The BJP and Arun Jaitley have decided to take this country in a pothole. There is already chaos in the real estate market, so bringing real estate under the GST ambit will be a disaster."

Another party leader, Tom Vadakkan, said the government should take stakeholder and the Opposition into confidence before taking this decision.

"We do hope they have discussed this with the stakeholders and it does not create a situation where have had problem with GST in other state.

If discussion is held and stakeholder and the Opposition are taken into confidence then that it will be very useful," he said.

While delivering the “Annual Mahindra Lecture” on India's tax reforms at the prestigious Harvard University in Washington, Jaitley said, "The one sector in India where maximum amount of tax evasion and cash generation takes place and which is still outside the GST is real estate. Some of the states have been pressing for it. I personally believe that there is a strong case to bring real estate into the GST."

The GST, which brings the economy under a uniform tax regime, was implemented from July 1 this year. —ANI