GST : Panacea or Propaganda

Wife:  Well Sharad, what do you make of this new taxation system?

Husband:  Hmm… Let’s see. Shouldn’t barge in to any sort of conclusion.

Wife:  Don’t you think, it’s going to upset our budget?

Husband:  Not really, the intellects would have definitely not left a stone unturned in establishing a balanced taxation system.

Well, this is what the current scenario seems like in every family since the implementation of GST. It’s been a hot potato for a while now, and it’s not the first time the government has enforced some action that has made the public turn apprehensive. We all have already witnessed demonetization. But there is certainly no need to panic, as it does take some time to digest something new and getting used to it.

Now some questions do pop up in the meantime as to what basic alterations would be introduced in the budget of a commoner. Will it just bungle up the situation or assuage the present complexities in the taxation system?  Will my restaurant bill become dearer?  Is this new system really going to create some sort of transparency? And wait! Will I have to pay extra for my cigarettes too? What! Don’t shy away. There’s nothing irrational in that. Huh! There is a plethora of questions circumventing the fickle brains at present. While many have been answered, some still remain to deliberate over.

Some funny remarks did get highlighted while the implementation of GST was in force, I acknowledge the media for that.
         Twitterati read, “GST bill passage much like the Emirates crash landing in Dubai, for a decade parties fooled around on the most important tax reform ever”.
I don’t know how comprehensively people understood the tax reform, but there was a flood of tweets in the social media. Well if not anything else, the Digital India campaign of PM Modi is at least in progress ;). It’s ridiculous how even before the implementation of GST, people’s WhatsApp inbox were inundated with the various pros and cons of the same. Thanks to the social media again.

Yes, the NDA government has bravely ushered on to the tax reforms and “One Nation, One Tax system“. But why so much of fuss and fooling around. The GST was already tabled in the Lok Sabha, back in the year 2003 while the UPA government was in power. And what did the opposition do? Well obviously, opposed. That’s what every opposition is meant for. And none but this BJP itself fired volleys on the ruling party Congress, on grounds that the bill wasn’t drafted properly. (The two-faced Indian politics). Nevertheless, GST has finally resuscitated after facing several hiccups. Thanks to the mandate, the present government enjoys over the dwindled opposition.

The most significant aspect in which this system has benefitted the government is that the GST shall keep a check on tax evasion. Shri Arun Jaitley said, “Out of 120 crore people in India, there are only about 80 lacs of people who pay tax and it’s the government which is ultimately the victim of it”. Though Jaitley Ji, I think you forgot that 30% of them fall in the category of below 18, some are not in the financial state to being able to pay taxes, and then there are farmers on whom you don’t impose tax.

How the GST will work out in near future is yet to be discovered; only time will unveil that. Well, probably from my specs the GST doesn’t seem to be a propaganda for sure. Will it be a Panacea, we are to find out. Lastly, for those who can’t keep themselves from criticizing governments: EVERYTHING SEEMS YELLOW TO A JAUNDICED EYE.