With the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the J&K state, the rates of daily use commodities and services have soared giving a tough time to the commoners.
After the GST the rate of some goods and services will be hiked from 5% to 28%. Earlier, the rate of a cigarette pack brand ‘Four Square’ cost consumer Rs 50 and another commodity ’Good Day’ biscuit of Britannia used to cost Rs 20. Now after the implementation of GST, the rate of the same brand of cigarette will be Rs 55 and the rate of the same biscuit will be Rs 24.
Apart from edible items, the prices of hair oil have also been hiked by 18%. Earlier ‘Dabur Alma’ hair oil’s 250 ml bottle would cost Rs 65 now with GST it would be available with the hike of 18% to the rate that used to be earlier.
A cup of coffee and tea are also going to be costlier for the common man. “Taking sips and enjoying cup of tea and coffee is becoming costly for us, this GST has made all those commodities costlier for a common man,” a shopkeeper at Lal chowk, Abdul Karim told Kashmir Vision.
“Already the rates of commodities are very high and with the implementation of GST here, it would becomes very tough for a common man, “he added.
A group of pedestrian while expressing concern over GST told Kashmir Vision that in the garb of GST, government is looting “common people.’’ “Instead of making it easy for people like us to live a simple life and addressing the problems of common man, government is making it tougher.”
Pertinently, On 7 July J&K Assembly passed the GST bill. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a uniform indirect tax levied on goods and services across the country. The GST regime came in force from July 1, in all the states of Indian except J&K State.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir tabled the resolution on GST in the State Lagislative Assembly for the discussion during the special session that was called after the opposition and the trade bodies alleged that the extension of GST will be a dent to the special status of the state and will lead to the erosion of Article 370.
GST, as an umbrella tax, will replace central taxes such as central excise duty, Service Tax, Additional Duties of Excise & Customs, Special Additional Duty of Customs, and cesses and surcharges on supply of goods and services. It will also replace State taxes like VAT, Central Sales Tax, Purchase Tax, Entry Tax, and Entertainment Tax, taxes on advertisements, lotteries, betting and gambling, and state cesses and surcharges.
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