Modi Govt’s GST is Imperfect, Unfair: P Chidambaram

Former Finance Minister asserted that current GST can’t be labelled as ‘One Nation, One Tax’.

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram. (Photo: Reuters)

The Modi government's Goods and Services Tax (GST) law is "very, very imperfect" and cannot be labelled "one nation, one tax" as it has seven or more tax rates, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said.

This is a very, very imperfect law. This is not the GST which we (the UPA) had envisaged...What has been implemented, however, is a GST with seven, or possibly more, rates. It is a mockery of GST.

P Chidambaram, Former Finance Minister

Chidambaram said the Congress would continue to watch the roll-out of GST and articulate the fears and grievances of small and medium sized and multi-state businesses and consumers.

He noted that authorities and businesses were "unprepared or underprepared" for the roll-out of the tax regime and said its launch should have been deferred by two months and the GSTN (goods and services tax network) should have been put through a trial run.

Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam