Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Nov 1: Jammu and Kashmir Coordination Committee (JKCC) today reiterated its opposition to Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demanded that the new tax regime in its present form should be rolled back in State.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar member of the JKCC Mubeen Shah told reporters that State Government is misleading people and business community of State over implementation of GST law. They said that with the implementation of GST, the Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its fiscal autonomy were eroded.
“The present set up seemed to be more than eager for extending GST law to Jammu and Kashmir in a deceitful manner. It has further eroded our autonomy and the Government has taken and is taking pride in it,” Shah said and listed series of demands before the Government that included roll back of the new tax regime.
Convenor of JKCC, Siraj Ahmad, said that JKCC was formed to fight against the implementation of GST law in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that since beginning the JKCC has been saying that it is compromise on fiscal autonomy and surrender of its sovereignty.
“The JKCC tried a lot and very hard to make the State Government to see the reason but they were in such a tearing hurry that they went for it without listening to anyone or seeing the reason. They tried to present themselves to us as our representatives by their craftiness, artfulness and cunningness, but at the end of the day they demonstrated what they were, they are and shall remain – the Collaborators of New Delhi”, Siraj said.
Taking a dig at Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu, Mubeen Shah said what he was saying was quite opposite on GST before becoming the FM.
Shah said that before becoming FM, Drabu used to say that GST reduces the power and the flexibility of the State Government to pursue its own fiscal policy as well as public expenditure policy which is aligned to its own requirements.
He said that when Drabu became the Finance Minister he changed his take on GST and said that the State Government will come out with a separate proposal on how to participate in the GST framework without compromising its constitutional position on taxing services. “After making submissions in the empowered committee meeting on 26th July 2016, he also said that the empowered committee has agreed that the proposed tax will not be extended to us in the current form”, Shah quoted Drabu as saying.
Shah said that Drabu never meant it because what he did was exactly opposite.
Convenor of the JKCC, Siraj Ahmad said that in the GST chain of events the Government also misled the traders community as well as the general public by constituting a Consultative Group of political parties on implementation of GST under the chairmanship of Muzaffar Hussain Beigh (MP) to arrive at a consensus on GST issue.
JKCC accused the legislators of making cosmetic discussions in the Assembly to hoodwink general public. “It may be pertinent to add here that the members in the Assembly made some artificial and cosmetic discussions over it. These as we knew meant nothing in the end. The so called mainstream parties collaborated with each other – which they always do – and got it passed”, he added.
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