GST anniversary: P Chidambaram attacks Centre over 'flawed' tax system, says it raised burden on common man

New Delhi: Former finance minister P Chidambaram on Sunday attacked the government on the first anniversary of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, claiming it had raised the tax burden on the common man and become a “bad word” among the people. [caption id=“attachment_4641131” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Former finance minister P Chidambaram speaks as Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal looks on as they address the media about completion of one year of GST. PTI[/caption] “The design, structure, infrastructure backbone, rate or rates and implementation of the GST (Goods and Services Tax) were so flawed that GST has become a bad word among business persons, traders, exporters and the common citizens,” he told reporters in New Delhi. The only section that appears to be happy about the GST is the tax administration that has acquired extraordinary powers, he added. “It is widely perceived that GST has increased the tax burden of the common citizen; it has certainly not reduced the tax burden as was promised,” Chidambaram said. The senior Congress leader said beginning with the GST Constitution Amendment Bill, every step taken by the BJP government with regard to GST was deeply flawed. The GST Bills also “ignored the advice” of the chief economic adviser on many aspects, notably on the rates, he claimed.