Govt was 'ill-prepared' to implement GST: Cong
New Delhi, Dec 25: Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal Tuesday alleged that the slashing of GST rates on a host of items was a "patchwork" for the "ill-prepared" introduction of the tax.
He demanded that petrol and electricity be also brought under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The GST council at its 31st meeting on Wednesday slashed tax rates for 23 commonly-used items. The rates have been reduced from 18 per cent to 12 and 5 per cent respectively.
"Reducing the taxes is just a patchwork for the ill-prepared introduction of GST as there was no conceptual clarity in the first place. This meeting was just a patchwork.
"India is the 161st country to introduce a GST-like arrangement, our concern is if we had to copy, it should have been done with clear concepts," Congress leader Badal told reporters here.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has always called the GST a "Gabbar Singh Tax". The GST was hastily implemented without any preparation, he said.
"The concepts were not clear, stakeholders were not consulted and there was no technological preparedness. We have been demanding that filing of GST returns be simplified, and petroleum and electricity be brought under its ambit," the Punjab finance minister said.
"If GST is about having 'one nation, one tax', such a big sector of the economy cannot be exempted," he said.
Badal said the BJP slashed the GST rates "out of panic" and that if elected to power, the Congress will implement a new simplified version of the GST, as its current version is "flawed".
He also said that decisions should be taken for the long-term good of the country and not out of political considerations.
While the government has claimed that the fresh rate rationalisation is an attempt to streamline GST and make it more people-friendly, the Congress and other opposition parties have objected to rate cut citing revenue consideration.
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Miscreants decamp with 70 kg silver articles from jewellery shop in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Unidentified miscreants allegedly broke into a jewellery shop here and decamped with approximately 70 kg of silver articles worth crores of rupees, police said on Friday.
The incident was reported at a jewellery shop near 8th Mile, Havanur, on April 28, they said.
According to police, the accused are suspected to have entered the premises from the rear after breaking open the lock and drilling a hole through the wall of the shop.
The incident came to light at around 7 am on April 28 when shop staff opened the premises and discovered signs of forced entry and extensive damage to the rear section of the building, following which they alerted police authorities.
Preliminary estimates indicate that around 70 kg of silver articles, worth crores, were stolen. Most of the silver items displayed in the cupboards were taken, while valuables kept in the locker remained intact, a senior police officer said.
Police said CCTV cameras inside the shop were not functioning. Efforts are underway to identify the suspects using footage from cameras installed in the vicinity.
The miscreants also allegedly took away the Digital Video Recorder (of CCTV) of an adjacent shop, the officer added.
Investigators are also examining the tools and techniques used to gain access to the shop, suspecting the involvement of a professional gang with prior knowledge of the store layout.
A case has been registered at Bagalagunte Police Station, and further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend the accused, police said.
