Samajwadi Party Chief Criticizes Government’s Move Amid Reports of New GST Slabs
LUCKNOW, Dec 5, 2024 – Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre, accusing it of attempting to “increase corruption” rather than boosting revenue by hiking the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on several goods. His comments came in response to reports suggesting that the government is considering a hike in GST on certain items, including sin goods like aerated beverages, cigarettes, and tobacco products.
Taking to social media platform X, Yadav called out the government’s “one country, one tax” slogan as a “jumlaai jhoot” (empty rhetoric). He pointed out that the proposed new GST slabs contradicted the promise of a single, unified tax system.
“One Tax, Many Slabs”
“In the BJP’s vision, there is ‘one tax, many slabs,’ which exposes their slogan of ‘one country, one tax’ as a complete lie,” Yadav said. He alleged that the government’s move to introduce new tax slabs was part of a broader strategy to enrich officials and foster corruption.
Yadav further argued, “The real agenda behind increasing tax rates is to squeeze shopkeepers and businessmen, pressuring them through government officials to extract money.” He warned that higher tax rates would only encourage tax evasion, which, he said, would benefit corrupt government officials rather than the public.
BJP’s ‘Backdoor’ Tax Collection Tactics
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also took aim at the BJP’s alleged use of backdoor methods to evade taxes. “In the BJP government, the first step is to create avenues for tax evasion, and then they announce new taxes through the front door. The result is that the burden of paying taxes always falls on the public,” he said.
Yadav’s comments came after reports that the Group of Ministers (GoM) on GST rate rationalization was considering raising the GST rate on sin goods from 28% to 35%. The suggestion has sparked a political debate, with opposition leaders criticizing the government’s handling of tax policies.
However, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC) clarified on Tuesday that the GoM had yet to submit any final recommendations to the GST Council, which has the final say on tax rate decisions.
Public Burdened by Tax Hikes
Yadav emphasized that the common people would bear the brunt of any GST hike. “The public is already crushed under the weight of taxes. Any new tax planning will further burden them,” he said.
While the government has not officially confirmed the proposed hike in GST rates, the discussions surrounding the matter have already ignited a wave of criticism from opposition parties, with allegations that the tax changes will disproportionately affect the working class and small businesses.
What’s Next?
As the debate around GST hikes continues to intensify, the government’s next move will be closely watched. Opposition parties, led by Akhilesh Yadav, are expected to continue their campaign against the proposed changes, arguing that the public should not bear the cost of inefficiency and corruption within the tax system.
