 "Congress MP Veerappa Moily")
The Congress slammed the government for diluting the original spirit of the ambitious Goods and Service Tax Bill and charged the Bharatiya Janata Party with deliberately opposing the legislation over the past several years which robbed the country of around Rs 12 lakh crore.
After Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved four supporting bills to the main GST Bill in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP M Veerappa Moily went on to list the various shortcomings in the reform legislation being dubbed as a game changer by the government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House as Moily spoke. The former law minister reminded the BJP how the saffron party had opposed the legislation when the previous UPA had brought it eight years ago.
"Seven to eight years have passed after the erstwhile UPA government wanted to bring the GST Bill. Some parties then felt it should be halted due to reasons best known to them," he said.
The delay in implementing GST deprived the country of Rs 12 lakh crore, said Moily asking the government who will compensate for the loss occurring due to "damaging political gambles".
Noting that the proposed GST regime will be a "technological nightmare", Moily said its provisions on anti-profiteering are "far too draconian".
According to the former law minister, the BJP's bill defies the concept of one nation, one tax as it proposes a four-tier tax structure while keeping the rates high.
"What you brought today cannot be called a game changer but only a baby step. The one nation, one tax concept is only a myth. There are too many rates, cesses," said Moily.
Among the other concerns expressed by the Congress leader included some complexities in the inter-state transactions which he said were retrograde, exemption to the real estate sector which generates a lot of black money, concerns over turf wars between Central and state governments that may crop up over implementing the law and lack of provisions to protect the interests of the common man who may not know how to avail the benefits thereof.
Noting that despite good intentions, the proposed bill could lead to tax distortions, the Congress leader said it reflected a casual approach of the Centre.
Moily's attack came a day after Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi chaired a strategy session with party lawmakers and told them that they should oppose the Bill on its demerits and not in principle as the legislation is Congress' brainchild.
