Need of hour radically-simplified, less punitive GST 2.0: Congress

Congress calls for a comprehensive and simplified GST 2.0 as Finance Minister hints at further rate reductions.

With Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asserting that the GST rates will come down further, the Congress on Sunday (March 9, 2025) said any changes in the tax must be more comprehensive than a mere rate reduction and stressed the need for a radically simplified and less-punitive GST 2.0.

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Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said his party had envisaged a GST 2.0 — a truly "Good and Simple Tax" — in its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and it remains committed to that vision.

"The ball is now in the Union government's court — will they take this historic opportunity?" Mr. Ramesh asked in a statement.

"The Finance Minister has declared that GST rates will be reduced soon. The Indian National Congress reiterates that any changes in GST must be more comprehensive than a mere rate reduction," he said.

Reducing the tax on caramel popcorn, without fundamentally reforming a system that has three rates of tax for popcorn, is just window-dressing, the former Union minister added.

The need of the hour is a radically-simplified and less-punitive GST 2.0, he said.