Congress leader Sachin Pilot has demanded reforms in the GST structure to ease the burden on small traders and the middle class. Calling for "GST 2.0," Pilot criticised the BJP government for favouring billionaires with tax cuts while overburdening the common man.
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Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Sachin Pilot has called for significant reforms to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure, urging the introduction of "GST 2.0" in the upcoming Union Budget to address the grievances of small, medium, and micro traders, as well as middle-class taxpayers.
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Highlighting the inequities within the current GST system, Pilot accused the BJP-led government of favouring the wealthy with tax exemptions while disproportionately burdening the common man and small businesses.
Speaking at a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, Pilot stated that the BJP government is set to present its Union Budget on 1st February 2025. He emphasised the need to reform GST, which he described as excessively complex and oppressive. Citing data, Pilot remarked that 64% of the total GST collection for the financial year 2021-22 came from the bottom 50% of the population, while only 3% was collected from the top 10%.
"This GST structure unfairly burdens the poor and middle class. Essential services like health insurance attract an 18% GST rate, even for children and senior citizens. Astonishingly, even popcorn is subjected to three different GST rates," Pilot remarked.
He further criticised the BJP government for its double standards, pointing out that while the party boasts about record GST collections, it offered a ₹2 lakh crore corporate tax cut in 2019. "Prime Minister Modi grants massive tax cuts to billionaires but increases the tax burden on the middle class and small businesses," he added.
Pilot noted that the GST system was originally proposed by Congress under Dr. Manmohan Singh’s leadership, but the BJP had fiercely opposed it at the time. He also accused the Modi government of adopting Congress-led initiatives like Aadhaar, DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer), and FDI in retail after initially opposing them.
He expressed concerns over the lack of transparency in the current government, stating that GDP figures are not disclosed accurately, and unemployment and inflation have risen significantly under BJP rule.
Responding to questions about the INDIA alliance, Pilot asserted that the coalition remains strong, adding, "Different states have unique political scenarios, but that doesn’t mean the alliance is weakening."
The press conference was attended by prominent Congress leaders, including CWC member Naseem Khan, MLAs Amin Patel and Zeeshan Siddique, and party spokespersons Atul Londhe and Bharat Singh.
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