Terming the Central Government’s decision to increase the minimum rate of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from five to eight percent as “anti-people”, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab unit president Bhagwant Mann on Monday said that the Centre should bring relief to the people from inflation by bringing petrol and diesel under the GST’s ambit instead of imposing a new tax on the common man who already are facing inflation due to the Government’s anti-people policies and COVID-19.
Pointing that price of crude oil is skyrocketing due to Russia-Ukraine war and further increase in the prices of petroleum products will be too much of a weight for the common people to handle, Mann appealed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider bringing petroleum products under the GST and stop increasing GST tax rates to provide much needed relief.
Slamming the Modi Government as “traitorous”, Mann said that as soon as Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are getting over, there is a plan to impose a new tax on the people of the country and increase the prices of petrol and diesel drastically.
“The essential commodities and food items come under the purview of five percent GST. Increasing this to eight percent will have a direct impact on the poor and the common people. The imposition of a new tax on the public, who are facing financial crisis due to Corona virus, unemployment, and inflation, is unfortunate and insensitive,” he added.