Bengal Finance Minister Says Centre "Forced On Us" GST On Covid Items

West Bengal Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra called the move to tax masks, PPEs, and hand sanitisers "anti-people".

West Bengal Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra today accused the Centre of thrusting on states the move to tax essential items related to the Covid pandemic such as masks, sanitisers, and vaccines. He said voices like his were "ignored" during a GST Council meeting and that his virtual link was even cut off. Union Minister Anurag Thakur later denied the allegations. GoI led the anti-people move & IMPOSED GST on VACCINE, MASK,hand sanitizer, OXYGEN, PPE, oxymeter, Covid test kit, Remdesivir, RT PCR machine..Since my voice IGNORED, I have recorded my DISSENT by letter. Unprecedented. Slow death of the only body of cooperative federalism. At the end of the discussion, when FM @nsitharaman ji asked the Council whether anyone would like to speak & add their comments, Dr Mitra ji again remained silent and did not speak up. In a letter he wrote in "great anguish" to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chairperson of the Goods And Services Tax (GST) Council, Dr Mitra said his voice was "muzzled" which he said was "truly unprecedented". The Council met today to discuss, among other things, tax relief on items of need in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.