Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi general secretary D. Ravikumar, on Sunday criticised the Union government for not including Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan in Group Of Ministers (GoM) formed to examine the issue of GST exemption and concessions to Covid relief material.
Mr. Ravikumar, who is the Villupuram MP, in a statement alleged that the Union government has deliberately ensured that Mr. Rajan was not included as he had spoken about how implementation of GST has encroached on States’ rights, how the promises made to the States with respect to implementation of GST have all “failed to materialise” and raised the issue of GST exemption for Covid relief material in the recent GST council meeting.
“The strong issues that he has raised would have embarrassed the Union government. In the GST committee meeting, he presented an 18-page written statement. For almost 12 pages, he underlined the issues with State-Union government relations, how States are being discriminated in allocation of tax revenue and tax injustice. In the last few pages, he has raised the issue of temporary GST exemption for Covid relief materials such as Vaccines, Oximeters etc," he said.
Mr. Ravikumar said that he has not been included as he had underlined the injustice of how tax revenues due to States have not been given since before Independence. Competent people are being ignored, he further charged.
