GST Council’s GoM should stop acting like an autocrat: Manpreet Badal

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 12

Stating that the Covid-19 crisis was a once-in-a-century calamity, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Saturday stated that the GST’s Group of Ministers (GoM) should stop acting like the “shahenshah” (kings) of old times and instead let compassion speak through its decisions.

Stating that all Covid-related goods must be zero-rated during the pandemic, the Punjab Finance Minister, along with other Finance Ministers representing the Indian National Congress (INC), opposed the imposition of GST on Covid related items at this time of a national crisis, and recorded their note of dissent, a press note said. The other alternative is to charge 0.1 per cent, which is well within the powers of the GST Council, and this measure should be in place till the pandemic is over.

Releasing his remarks and interventions made at the 44th meeting of the GST Council, the Punjab Finance Minister urged the ruling government to include representatives of the Indian National Congress (INC) in the Group of Ministers (GOM). “It is preposterous that the principal opposition party of India in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha has been excluded in the GoM,” Manpreet Singh Badal said.

The Punjab Finance Minister also asked the chairperson to operationalise the position of Vice-Chairperson of the GST Council, the press note said. Further, the GST Council must have its own secretariat, and it should be empowered to adjudicate on a Dispute Resolution Mechanism where there are divergent views.

He regretted that the GoM is not acting with compassion, and it is parroting the Union Government, perhaps out of the fear that they may not be included from a future GoM. He also called upon the look at the entire GST issue holistically so that a due, considerate and humane approach is adopted to help ameliorate the sufferings of the people of India.

Manpreet Singh Badal reminded the GoM that health care services, including all recognized systems of medicine (Allopathy, Ayurveda, Unani, Homoeopathy, Yoga), are already exempt under GST. The supply of medicine that is a part of the treatment package is also exempt since the entire transaction is considered a service.

He criticised the discussion for restricting GST on government hospitals versus private hospitals stating that both treat the people of India. The idea that we need GST registration and billing and later file returns are farcical. What would a consumer feel seeing GST reflected on an invoice, the Punjab Finance Minister asked?

Manpreet Singh Badal also criticised the attempt to garner revenues from furnaces from crematoriums stating that this category should be even above the exemption category.

“Is this how the Union Government wishes to collect revenues,” he asked.

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