Bring land and real estate within GST purview: Sisodia

Delhi Finance Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday demanded that land and real estate be brought within the ambit of GST and its taxation slab be kept at lower ceilings for vast majority of consumer durables to make it a mass-friendly taxation.

"GST, otherwise a great tax reform, kills its own spirit if real estate is kept out of GST tax net. I have been constantly pushing against it but somehow there couldn't be an absolute consensus on the issue at a number of GST Council Meetings of all the states' Finance Ministers," Sisodia said.

Sisodia, who is also Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister, observed that future generations would suffer its pain if land and real estate remained outside the purview of Goods and Services Tax.

Addressing a 'National GST Conclave: One Nation One Tax-Pivotal Tax Reforms', organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here, Sisodia also said that dual control of GST also defeated its intended objectives.

"GST structure is unfortunately becoming more friendly to tax collection machinery than to the trader. Objective of the GST should be consumer and traders oriented and it should not entirely aim at raising taxation with higher rates," he said.

Consumer durables such as TV, mobilephones, electric appliances and host of similar such articles should not be taxed luxuriously, he said.

He said he would take up the issues in the forthcoming GST Council meetings as he felt that keeping land and real estate outside purview of GST and higher taxation slab for consumer durables would kill its basic purpose.

--IANS

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