P Chidambaram fires on GST

NEw Delhi, December 26: Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday raised the question on the changes caused in the "declared goals" of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) scheme, why it was being changed.

"Until yesterday a single standard rate of GST was a useless idea. Since yesterday, it is declared as goal of government!

"Until yesterday capping GST at 18 percent was impracticable. since yesterday, the congress party s original demand of an 18 percent cap is the decided goal of the government!

"until yesterday, the Chief Economic Adviser s RNR complained to fix the standard rate at 15 percent was in the dustbin. Yesterday it was retrieved and placed on the FM s table and was promptly accepted!" the senior Congress leader said in a series of tweets.

The former Union Minister s tweets came barely two days after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday hinted that the country might eventually have a single standard rate of GST, adding that the 28 percent slab would soon be phased out, except on luxury and "sin goods".

In a facebook post he also said that the standard rate could be between the 12 and 18 percent.

Jaitley s GST blog came a fortnight after electoral verdicts in three Hindi heartlands states -- Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan -- did not go the Bharatiya Janata Party s way, and months ahead of the 2019 general elections.