FM dispels concern of rise in GST rate, says there is not even one such item

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday dispelled concerns over a rise in Goods and Services Tax (GST), saying that there is not even one item on which the rate has been increased after the implementation of GST regime.

Intervening during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman stated that GST rates have been brought down and the average GST rate has come down to 11.3 per cent from 15.8 per cent (at the time of GST implementation).

"That is the level of rate of reduction in the GST Council. Therefore I appeal to all the members here, kindly spare some time, meet your respective finance ministers in the states as to what kind of work is going," she said. She also explained that in the GST Council, finance ministers from state governments sit together and take a call.

"To the credit of every finance minister in the GST Council, I must say that they have gone into detail item by item to see where rate reduction can happen. Every finance minister from every state is doing his best so that GST can become simpler," she said. She pointed out that if the GST Council has taken a bit longer than what all of us would decide, it is because work is going on there.