Monsoon Session: Cong to protest against GST hike, Rahul likely to join

The Congress is planning to attack the BJP-led central government over price rise and the GST issue.

Congress will hold protests against the recent hike in Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates on Tuesday in Parliament and party leader Rahul Gandhi is also likely to attend the protest.

While speaking to media persons on the GST hike, Congress Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge said on Monday had said that they will protest at the Gandhi statue and also inside as well as outside the House.

"We will fight it tomorrow, will protest at the Gandhi statue and also inside as well as outside the House. We have appealed to all parties to fight against price rise, GST hike," said Kharge.

Communist Party of India (CPI) MP Binoy Viswam also criticised the Central government over the change in GST rates and said the party will fight it terming the hike "absolutely anti-people".

"GST hike is absolutely anti-people, we will fight it," said Viswam.

Earlier on Monday, Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the BJP and shared a graph on Twitter showing how commodities like curd, paneer, rice, wheat, barley, jaggery and honey are being taxed now. There was no tax on these items of mass consumption earlier.

"High taxes, No jobs. BJP's masterclass on how to destroy what was once one of the world's fastest-growing economies," he said.

The recommendations on Goods and Services Tax rates that were made during the 47th GST Council meeting held in June came into effect from Monday.

Pre-packaged and labelled pulses, and cereals like rice, wheat, and flour (atta) will now attract 5 per cent GST when branded and packed in a unit container, whereas curd, lassi, and puffed rice would attract 5 per cent tax cent when pre-packaged and labelled.

Other items such as curd, lassi, and puffed rice too would attract GST at the rate of 5 per cent when pre-packaged and labelled.

The decision to hike GST on these items were taken in the recently held 47th GST Council meeting in Chandigarh.

It is also clarified that a single package of these items [cereals, pulses, flour) containing a quantity of more than 25 Kg or 25 litre would not fall in the category of a pre-packaged and labelled commodity for the purposes of GST and would therefore not attract GST.

Other items that will be dearer are printing, writing or drawing ink, knives with cutting blades, paper knives, pencil sharpeners and blades, spoons, forks, ladles, skimmers, and cake-servers. These items would now attract 18 per cent instead of 12 per cent.

LED lamps and solar water heaters too will attract 18 per cent tax.

Further, Tetra Pak (or aseptic packaging paper) used for packaging liquid beverages or dairy products will now attract 18 per cent GST instead of 12 per cent. Cut and Polished diamonds will be taxed at 1.5 per cent compared to 0.25 per cent earlier.

Also, hotel accommodation rates up to Rs 1000 per day will now be now taxed at 12 per cent,

On the other hand, tax on transport of goods and passengers by ropeways would decline to 5 per cent from 18 per cent.

Renting of truck/goods carriage where the cost of fuel is included will be cheaper as the tax is reduced to 12 per cent instead of 18 per cent.