Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram attacked the government on the first anniversary of the goods and services tax regime, claiming it had raised the tax burden on the common man and became a “bad word” among people.
“The design, structure, infrastructure backbone, rate or rates and implementation of the GST were so flawed that the GST has become a bad word among business persons, traders, exporters and the common citizens,” he told reporters.
The only section that appears to be happy about the GST is the tax administration that has acquired extraordinary powers, he said.
“It is widely perceived that the GST has increased the tax burden of the common citizen; it has certainly not reduced the tax burden as was promised,” Chidambaram said.
The senior Congress leader said beginning with the GST Constitution Amendment Bill, every step taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party government with regard to the GST was deeply flawed.
The GST Bill also “ignored the advice” of the chief economic adviser on many aspects, notably on the rates, Chidambaram said.
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