Akhilesh Yadav slams Centre over reports of GST hike on several items

Akhilesh Yadav. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday (December 5, 2024) attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre on reports that the GST on several items might be hiked, saying the BJP plans to “increase corruption” instead of increasing revenue.

In a post on X, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said, “BJP was saying ‘one country, one tax’ but this statement of theirs also turned out to be a ‘jumlaai jhoot‘ (rhetoric) because now they are bringing new slabs of tax.”

“When there is ‘one tax, many slabs’ then the slogan of ‘one tax’ has proved to be a lie in the true sense. Actually, there is a big game behind increasing the tax rates. This is the BJP’s plan to increase corruption instead of increasing revenue to do ‘vasuli‘ (extort money) from shopkeepers and businessmen through the officials by exerting more pressure on them,” he charged.

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His remarks come after reports that the Group of Ministers (GoM) on GST rate rationalisation has suggested tax rate on sin goods such as aerated beverages, cigarettes, tobacco and related products will be hiked to 35%, from the current 28%.

However, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes on Tuesday (December 3, 2024) said the GoM on GST rate rationalisation is yet to submit its recommendations to the GST Council, which is the final decision making body in fixation of tax rates.

Mr. Yadav said the rule of the world is that the higher the tax rate, the more tax is evaded. “The more tax is evaded, the more the corrupt ruling party earns,” he said.

“In the BJP government, backdoor ways are first prepared to evade tax and collect it, after that any new tax planning comes out from the front door,” he charged.

“In the end, the burden of paying every tax falls on the public, that is why it is the public which is crushed in the mill of tax, it is the public which is hit,” he said