Ex-Finance Minister Chidambaram slams govt's GST hike on scientific devices

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday criticised the government over the increase in GST rate on scientific equipment, saying it perhaps believes that the scientific knowledge can be gathered by gazing at the sky and "re-imagining our past".

GST on scientific equipment needed by research institutions and universities raised from 5 per cent to 12-18 per cent, the former finance minister said in a tweet.

This "unkind act" is after reducing the budget allocation of the Ministry of Science and Technology by 3.9 per cent from last year, Chidambaram said.

"The government perhaps believes that all the scientific knowledge that we need can be gathered by gazing at the sky and re-imagining our past," he said.

The Congress has also been protesting the levying of GST on certain daily use items.