Bhubaneswar: BJD MLA Shri Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo has voiced his concerns regarding the current Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure, stating that while some rationalization has occurred, the system remains too complex and places a heavy burden on certain items.
In a recent statement, the BJD leader Shri Singh Deo noted, “GST, though meant to be a simplified tax, was actually one of the most complex tax structures. So, some steps have been taken to rationalize the same.” He acknowledged that recent reforms have aimed to address this complexity, but he stressed that further action is needed.
Shri Singh Deo pointed out that the current tax regime features “too many different slabs of taxes and too much taxes on certain essentials.” He also highlighted that items that are no longer considered luxury goods are still being taxed at high rates. Specifically mentioning cars, he said, “cars are no longer luxury items. I hope that in the next meeting, the finance minister will reconsider these items.”
The BJD Lawmaker comments come amid recent government efforts to simplify the GST framework, which have seen a consolidation of tax slabs. However, he believes the ongoing reforms have not gone far enough to address the high tax rates on a wide range of goods and services, including automobiles.