The GST Council slashed the tax rates on 178 goods from 28 per cent to 18 per cent.
NEW DELHI (IANS) — Former Finance Minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Saturday took a dig at the government over the GST roll back in tax slabs, saying it took four months for commonsense to “germinate, flower and ripen into a fruit”.
“Ministry of Finance must be complimented for ‘improving’ the macro-economic situation in four months and 10 days!” Chidambaram said in a tweet.
“Four months and 10 days is the time taken for commonsense to germinate, flower and ripen into a fruit,” the Congress leader said in another tweet.
The former Finance Minister’s remarks came a day after the GST Council removed 178 items from the highest 28 per cent category.
Meanwhile, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said his party will continue to fight the ‘Gabbar Singh tax’ — Gandhi’s acronym for GST, to reduce the tax cap to 18 per cent from the current 28 per cent.
In a tweet, Gandhi said India needs a “simple” Goods and Services Tax, not a “Gabbar Singh tax”.
“Congress and people of the country fought to lower the 28 per cent GST rate on many items. Our struggle for 18 per cent cap will continue. If the BJP will not do this, Congress will do it,” Gandhi said.
On Friday, the GST Council slashed the tax rates on 178 goods from 28 per cent to 18 per cent.