JOIN USHitting out at the Opposition parties demanding a single rate for the Goods and Services Tax, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said the argument was anti-poor
“Those advocating the single tax slab have learnt it from some western nation where there is no BPL (below poverty line) population. The argument is against the poor and only for the wealthy, Jaitley said in the Lok Sabha replying to the discussion on Integrated GST (Extension to J&K) Bill 2017 and Central GST (Extension to J&K) Bill.
The bills were later passed by a voice vote.
Jaitley said with the integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the GST, the dream of one tax regime was met.
The bills are aimed at giving effect to the formal amendments required in the CGST and the IGST Acts by removing the exemption that was carved out for Jammu and Kashmir.
The GST was rolled out on July 1 all over the country except J&K where the Assembly passed a resolution adopting the Constitutional amendment only on July 5 and it was implemented from July 8.
The minister also sought to set at rest the argument against sanitary napkins costing more in the GST regime.
He said the napkins made in India by self-help groups are taxed zero, while those produced by the medium-range manufacturers are taxed at 2% and only those produced by big manufacturers are taxed at 12%.
In the absence of the GST, given thetaxes on inputs and intermediate products, locally-made sanitary pads could lose the edge to Chinese imports, Jaitley said.