‘WELCOME, but 8 years TOO LATE’: Congress on GST rate cut
Statesman News Service
Congress attacks Centre alleging ‘hasty anti-India trade deal' after US SC scraps Trump tariffs. (File photo: ANI)
The Opposition Congress welcomed the government’s move to rationalise Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates, but dismissed it as “eight years too late,” accusing the Modi government of ignoring repeated warnings.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram went a step further, speculating whether the timing of the rollback was driven by looming Bihar elections or pressure from US tariffs under President Donald Trump.
“The GST rationalisation and the reduction in rates on a range of goods and services are WELCOME but 8 years TOO LATE. The current design of GST and the rates prevailing until today ought not to have been introduced in the first place,” said senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram.The former finance minister said that they have been “crying hoarse” for the last eight years against the GST rates introduced by the Narendra Modi-led government but their plea fell on deaf ears.
“We have been crying hoarse for the last 8 years against the design and rates of GST, but our pleas fell on deaf ears,” he wrote on X.
He further sought to speculate the reasons behind the government’s decision to reduce GST rates, asking if it was linked to the imposition of steep tariffs by the United States.
“It will be interesting to speculate on what drove the government to make the changes: Sluggish growth? Rising household debt? Falling household savings? Elections in Bihar? Mr Trump and his tariffs? All of the above?” he added.
‘Victory wrested from a tone-deaf regime’
Launching an attack on the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) said the reduction in GST rates was “a victory wrested from a tone-deaf regime.”
“A victory wrested from a tone-deaf regime that only listens when forced. From day one, Smt. Mamata Banerjee warned the Finance Minister that taxing insurance premiums was cruel, anti-people, and would deter families from securing their future, leaving them vulnerable to financial ruin in times of crisis,” the TMC said on X.The party further stated that the move proves that the BJP only acts when concerned.
“The @narendramodi Govt. has finally buckled under pressure. This rollback proves that @BJP4India only acts when cornered. We will continue to fight every such Jono-Birodhi decision, in Parliament, on the streets, among the people,” the TMC added.
