Cong slams Centre over GST items’ ‘rationalisation’, Rana Kapoor claim

The Congress on Sunday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government over reports that it had suggested moving 132 of 143 items from the 18% tax slab of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to the 28% slab calling the move “deceitful and dubious”.

Speaking at a press conference here, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi also termed the allegations of Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor against party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as a “political vendetta”.

Singhvi quoted former finance minister Arun Jaitley’s remarks in 2018 on phasing out the 28% slab. “Except on luxury and sin goods… the 28% slab has almost been phased out,” the late former finance minister had said at the time.

Listing items such as jaggery, LED TVs under 32 inches, chewing gum and walnuts, Singhvi said, “The goods I have listed out are certainly not luxury and sin goods.” He added, that the BJP-led central government is doing the “exact opposite” of what Jaitley had said.

However, the goods and Service Tax (GST) Council has not sought views from states on hiking tax rates, according to a PTI report on Sunday. The report quotes unnamed sources and says that the panel of ministers looking into GST rate rationalisation is yet to submit its report.

“A proposal to increase 92% of the items in a list of 143 to a highest available slab category of 28% — I would call is deceitful, dubious and dissembling,” he added.

Responding to a query on the ED charge sheet against Yes Bank’s Kapoor, in which it is alleged that he was “forced” to buy an MF Hussain painting from Gandhi for ₹2 crore, Singhvi said: “…is it the result of your (government) pressure tactics and coercion on a person behind bars… and to keep a 12-year-old thing boiling just for convenience of politics,” he said.