The GST rollout has hit the commoner hard with prices of several essentials, particularly hotel food, shooting up, if one is to go by what people from different parts of the State say.
A rough mapping of the public mood by The Hindu showed that people are finding the going harder thanks to the price flare-up. “Chicken is being sold for ₹148 a kilo after the GST rollout. Traders are selling at higher rates in the name of GST. The rates of vegetables and essential commodities have also shot up,” said Sathyanarayanan, motor vehicle worker in Kochi.
G.P. Gopakumar, living at Thevally in Kollam, said not only were consumers not getting the feel of a price fall on commodities as claimed, the majority of the traders were also not giving bills. Some traders who gave bills were claiming that the prices were made on or before June 30. Traders defend themselves by saying that GST could come into force only after their existing stocks were exhausted.
Sayed Alavi alias Kunhutty, who runs a tea shop in Malappuram town, said, “As a commoner, I am yet to be affected by GST. But I am eagerly watching the developments in the trade sector”.
“Earlier, I used to have lunch from restaurants. Now I take home-made food. Most restaurants never give receipts to customers and their face turn red when we ask for a bill,” K.C. Jithesh, working with an engineering firm in Kozhikode, said.
P.S. Abdul Gafoor, also of Kozhikode, complained that restaurants were levying both service tax and GST of either 12% or 18% on each dish now. The prices of most essential items had come down. But hypermarkets and supermarkets continued to fleece customers.
“The ignorance of the common man is being exploited by the traders,” Mr. Gafoor felt.
Impact on outings
For Meghna Jojo, the impact of GST has been on her outings with friends. “Chilling out with friends has become expensive now,” says the Plus Two student in Thrissur. “Pizzas have become expensive. GST is reflected even in the mobile recharge. The internet bill also has increased,” she lamented.
With inputs from G. Krishnakumar (Kochi), Ignatius Pereira (Kollam), Biju Govind (Kozhikode), Abdul Latheef Naha (Malappuram) and Mini Muringatheri (Thrissur)
