Congress's Amarinder Singh hails GST, says it'll help Punjab
What's the story
What could be termed as a political U-turn, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was seen hailing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) while saying it will bring about an economic reform in the state. This is the Punjab CM's first address after he was elected to power. Captain Amarinder Singh's statement comes at a time when his party, Congress boycotted the GST implementation.
Conclusion
What did other Congress leaders have to say?
Congress boycotted the midnight session of the Parliament that was organized to announce the roll-out of the GST from July 1. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had hit out at the Centre for rolling out GST without planning, calling it as 'half-baked'. Former Finance Minister Chidambaram also stated that GST would bring as much trouble as demonetization did.
GST to help Punjab
GST is a 'progressive' tax, says Punjab CM Amarinder Singh
While publicly disagreeing with his own political party, Congress, Captain Amarinder Singh said GST will augment the economy of debt-ridden Punjab. Stating it as a progressive tax, Amarinder Singh defended his party and said that Congress's opposition to GST is on account of the multiple tax brackets. He added that there have been significant rise in revenue for Punjab in the last 3 months.