Karnal: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today dubbed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as “extremely tedious” for traders and sought simplification of various procedures involved.
Speaking at ‘Veopari Sammelan’ here in the home constituency of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Hooda noted that in the name of ‘One Nation, One Tax’, the present GST brought by the BJP was “extremely tedious” with seven-tier tax structure.
The Congress, on the other hand, was committed to one tax rate (with three slabs) with a cap of 18 per cent, he claimed.
The two-time former chief minister also presented a 12- point demand letter for a people-friendly GST in front of the traders who had come from across the state.
He said that if the government failed to fulfil their demands, then they would hold a ‘Veopari Mahapanchayat’ in Haryana after the monsoon session of Parliament and later protest would also be held across the state.
He demanded that a provision be kept for filing two returns instead of multiple in a year, cloth traders be exempted from the GST while imposition of GST on farm-related goods should be done away with.
He also demanded to revoke the provision of search and seizure, saying it would invite inspector raj.
“We are not against the GST, but we are opposing the flaws in the newly-introduced GST,” Hooda said.
Former Haryana Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma and Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda also spoke on the occasion.
The former chief minister has also been holding “Kisan Panchayats” across the state to highlight the plight of the farmers.
—PTI