Mann Ki Baat . Credit goes to States for successful implementation of GST, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi credited the state governments for the “successful” implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, which completes one year on July 1.

In his customary radio address Mann Ki Baat , Modi said on Sunday that ‘One Nation, One Tax’ was the dream of the people of this country and that has become a reality. “If I’ve to give credit to anyone for successful implementation of the ‘One Nation One Tax reform’, then I credit the states. GST is a great example of Cooperative federalism, where all the states decided to take a unanimous decision in the interest of the nation, and then such a huge tax reform was implemented in the country. So far, there have been 27 meetings of the GST Council and we can all feel proud that people from different political ideologies have been involved in these meetings,” he said.

He said the meetings of the council involved representatives of different states; states which have different priorities, and all the decisions made so far have been taken with absolute consensus. “Before the onset of the GST scheme, there were 17 different types of taxes prevailing in the country, but now only one tax is applicable in the entire country. GST is not only the victory of integrity but it is also a celebration of honesty. Earlier, in the case of taxation and allied affairs, there were rampant complaints of Inspector Raj,” the Prime Minister said. He said in the GST scheme, information technology has replaced the inspector.

"Everything from return to refund is done through online information technology. The check post has become extinct after the arrival of the GST scheme and the movement of goods has become faster, which not only saves time but also accrues benefits in the area of logistics," he said.

Modi said the GST is probably the biggest tax reform in the world. “The implementation of such a huge tax reform in India was successful only because the people of the country and through the power of the masses. It is generally believed that such a big tax reform, in a huge country like ours with such a large population takes five to seven years for effective adoption. However, within a year, the enthusiasm of the honest people of this nation, the celebration of integrity in the country and the participation of people resulted in this new tax system managing to create a space for itself, has achieved stability and according to the need, it will bring reform through its inbuilt arrangement," he claimed.

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