Petty politics

Sir — This refers to the editorial, “New regime at midnight”  (July 3). After a long bumpy journey, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) moment finally came on July 1, putting in place a single unified tax regime all over the country abolishing several Central and State taxes on goods and services.

It is India’s biggest economic reform since independence. It may be recalled that in 2003, the National Democratic Alliance Government formed a task force under Vijay Kelkar to recommend tax reforms. In 2005, the Kelkar committee recommended rolling out GST as suggested by the 12th Finance Commission and the then UPA Government in 2006 first mooted for the GST rollout by April 1, 2010. 

However, the rollout finally happened on July 1. The GST legislation was cleared by the Parliament, the Centre and the States putting national interest above politics while finalising tax rates and other aspects of the tax system. By boycotting the GST inauguration ceremony, the Congress and some others went back to their petty politics.