Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has promised to overhaul the Goods and Services Tax if his party comes to power after the 2019 general elections, The Hindu reported.
Speaking at rallies in Paonta Sahib, Chamba and Nagrota in Himachal Pradesh on Monday, he said a Congress government at the Centre would provide relief to traders and consumers, who have been affected by the GST, News 18 reported. The new tax regime, he added, will be made “easier and more people-friendly”.
However, any changes to the tax system will require the consent of all states, in addition to the central government. Finance ministers in Congress-run states said they will raise the demand at the next meeting of the GST Council in Guwahati on November 10, Business Standard reported.
In New Delhi on Monday, the ministers said they had been pointing out problems with the GST for months, but the Centre began to pay attention only recently as the Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are round the corner. “The changes being made are too little, too late,” Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal was quoted as saying by the Business Standard. “The economy has entered a dark alley with no exit.”
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