Raw deal

GST Council has gone overboard on anti-profiteering

The first meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council under Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman continued the healthy tradition of a consultative process, followed in all the previous meetings. On Friday, the Council refrained from taking any decision on rate restructuring and focused more on bringing in stringent norms to check tax evasion. While the much-anticipated proposal for reduction in rates on electric vehicles and chargers was referred to a fitment committee, the contentious issue of a uniform GST rate on lotteries was sent to the Attorney-General. In a signal to taxpayers that it was alive to their concerns,