GST a bad word among traders and common people alike: Chidambaram

The Congress continued to attack the BJP over the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Sunday — the first anniversary of the introduction of the massive tax reform system. Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said GST has raised the tax burden of the common man.

“The design, structure, infrastructure backbone, rate or rates and implementation of GST were so flawed that it has become a bad word among business persons, traders, exporters and the common citizens,” Chidambaram said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Chidambaram’s remarks come a day after Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala termed GST as ‘Grossly Scary Tax’. “GST completes one year.. it remains ‘Grossly Scary Tax’ for millions of traders, shopkeepers and businessmen,” Surjewala had tweeted on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, Chidambaram said the only section that appears to be happy about GST is the tax administration that has acquired extraordinary powers. “It is widely perceived that GST has increased the tax burden of the common citizen; it has certainly not reduced the tax burden as was promised,” Chidambaram said.