Gujarat govt defends GST on 'garba', AAP demands apology
India Today
The Gujarat government has imposed 18 per cent GST on entry passes for commercial 'garba' events.
The Gujarat government has defended its decision to impose 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on garba events by claiming that VAT and service tax were imposed on entry passes for the traditional dance event earlier.
The Gujarat Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) unit has demanded a roll back and sought the state home minister's apology. Earlier, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to call it “Garba Samapth Tax”.
“Garba is related to our traditions and culture. If the price of a ticket is more than Rs 500, GST is levied on such events. However, even before GST there was VAT and other taxes on such events," Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi told India Today.
Responding to this, Gujarat AAP leader Isudan Gadhvi said, “Gujarat home minister and CR Patil [state BJP chief] should apologise. CR Patil is Maharashtrian, therefore tax is applied on garba. If they apply GST on cricket league games, then there would be any need for GST on garba for the next 50 years. This is an insult to the people of Gujarat.”
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The entry pass GST issue came to the fore after United Way of Baroda, a Vadodara-based NGO popular for organising a mega garba event, mentioned applicable GST rates on its website recently.
As per the website, a nine-day pass for males would cost Rs 4,838, which includes Rs 4,100 entry fee and 18 per cent GST of Rs 738, while for females, the entry fee is fixed at Rs 1,298, which comprises Rs 1,100 for the pass and Rs 198 as GST at 18 per cent.
