GST First Anniversary: 'Game-Changer', Claims Jaitley; 'Traders Worst Hit', Quips Chidambaram – Who Said What

New Delhi, July 1: The Goods and Services Tax (GST), based on the concept of 'one nation, one taxation' policy, was rolled-out by the Narendra Modi government at Centre on July 1, 2017. On its first anniversary, the top brass of ruling BJP called it a "game-changing" move which boosted the ease of doing business across the nation. The Congress, which is the prime Opposition, was quick to mark its dissent, calling it a "flawed GST" which has hit the traders worst. Who said what:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Calling GST a "evolving system", the PM in an interview with Swarajya said the government is keen on taking input from all. He, however, lambasted the Opposition for criticising the four slabs of GST. "Can we have milk and Mercedes at the same rate?" he questioned.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley: "The seamless flow of goods and services across the country has made ‘Doing of Business’ simpler. The GST is expanding the tax base of the less developed consuming states significantly, which will provide more resources for them to devote for development purposes," he said.

Jaitley also reiterated the PM's defence while justifying the five slabs of GST. "Rahul Gandhi has been advocating a single slab GST for India. It is a flawed idea. A single slab GST can function only in those countries where the entire population has a similar and a higher level of paying capacity," he added.

Finance Minister Piyush Goyal: The interim FM took a jibe at the critics of GST, saying, "Those who tried to spread misconceptions have been exposed. Neither the economy has been derailed nor are traders and businessmen left in the lurch. On the contrary, GST has given impetus to the ease of doing business."

Former FM P Chidambaram: "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," the Congress veteran said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu: "Demonetisation is a failure. People don't have confidence in banks. GST has been a problem since its implementation. It is very clear that the NDA government has failed miserably," said Naidu, the ally-turned-foe of the BJP.

Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia: "It was interesting to see how the states defended their interests irrespective of the party line and sitting through 27 meetings of GST Council. 31 states passed the GST Bill in a record time of one and a half months," he said.

Among leaders who did not issue a reaction are Congress president Rahul Gandhi, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The Aam Aadmi Party, however, had demanded the abolishment of IGST earlier in the week, calling it a "bad idea".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 01, 2018 04:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).