Is GST the best thing to happen to India since Independence? Twitter can't get enough it
It’s finally here. At midnight, the 0000 hours on July 1, India will arrive at the Goods and Services Tax (GST) age.
If you are still unsure of what it is - GST is a system of taxation in India, first proposed in 2006, which merges many individually applied indirect taxes into a single tax. It is a comprehensive indirect tax on the manufacture, sale and consumption of goods and services all over the Indian territory, and it is to subsume (incorporate and replace) a host of indirect taxes levied by the central and state governments at various points in the circulation of products and services within the country.
For reasons more than one, the country is apprehensive about the idea of a complete tax overhaul. Add to this the fact that a chunk of the system is yet to be in fully place for GST to be smoothly implemented.
As is with more than a few economic and political decisions taken by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government, there is a slew of mixed reactions already. While there is a fair bit of rumour-mongering about it, there is also outright opposition and overwhelming support.
The Opposition leaders and their cohorts have reacted strongly to the GST rollout. The Congress has formally announced its boycott of the launch ceremony, the "midnight bash". According to the Congress, they have brought in historic reforms but have never celebrated them “this way”.
"This midnight spectacle is ignoring harsh realities of society, intolerance, farmers issues which cannot be ignored. Congress cannot be party to such a tamasha (drama), publicity gimmick... we won't be party to publicity for a mere tax policy," said senior party leader and former Union minister of commerce, Anand Sharma.
Here's what the Opposition is saying on the GST rollout.
India deserves a #GST rollout that does not put crores of its ordinary citizens, small businesses & traders through tremendous pain &anxiety
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 30, 2017
Unlike demonetisation, GST is a reform that @INCIndia has championed & backed from the beginning
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 30, 2017
Govt hasn't prepared for GST. No Parliamentary scrutiny to GST council decisions. This is another event like everything else in this govt pic.twitter.com/r8v7sHXd0d
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) June 30, 2017
BJP Govt has imposed 'Highest Ever GST Rate in the World',Unlike UPA's GST which put a cap of 18%. No country has such high rates. 2/n pic.twitter.com/d5IuN2lJ7g
— Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) June 30, 2017
Offended I am calling GST as the Great Stupid Tax.. well please be.. jobs in service sectors will decline.
— Tehseen Poonawalla (@tehseenp) June 30, 2017
Software not preparedGSTN not readyBusiness nt readyDraft in doldrumHow can GST b implemented without any preparedness Great Stupid Tax
— Vinay Kumar Dokania (@vinaydokania) June 30, 2017
When will Modi ji realise that launching GST & implementing GST are two very different things #GSTTamasha pic.twitter.com/99qmExtTKw
— INC India (@INCIndia) June 30, 2017
Politicians aside, the generalissimos of Twitter have a mixed reaction. While they had words of caution about the government’s preparedness, they seemed more or less supportive of this policy change, something most people believe, will cause an economic breakthrough.
Vajpayee set up GST panel in 2000, headed by Left's FM.Congress got it to House.TMC FM headed states' panel.Modi rolls it out #gstrollout
— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) June 30, 2017
Enough said. #GSTRollout pic.twitter.com/fHhCUDRWRr
— Aroon Deep (@AroonDeep) June 30, 2017
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer.One People, One Nation. One Leader.One Nation, One Tax.Do the fools out there realise where we're headed?
— Sanjiv Bhatt (IPS) (@sanjivbhatt) June 30, 2017
Increasing taxes on baby food, sanitary pads, cereals, biscuits, I wonder how many women were on the GST council @arunjaitley
— Suparn Verma (@Suparn) June 30, 2017
GST is a big opportunity for opposition to spread rumors through social platforms like Whatsapp and facebook. Good to see they are doing it
— Rahul Raj (@bhak_sala) June 30, 2017
What a brutal and scary assessment of how GST might turn out. From a (once?) Modi-supporting CA with 25 years exp. https://t.co/dGs9TrUNNq pic.twitter.com/1bI8BMTQRj
— Rohin Dharmakumar (@r0h1n) June 30, 2017
But the winners are always the ones who know how to make a joke. It does not matter what the policy is, there are always those who can’t help but find a little hilarity in every situation:
Now, I did not have time to go street by Street to capture the transformation. I used satellite maps to show it. Modiji4ever.#gstrollout pic.twitter.com/qLduXEzuwK
— Keerthi (@realkeerthi) June 30, 2017
Friend : what is GST?Me : pic.twitter.com/nKix6O9gJD
— Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) June 30, 2017
Tax lawyers after GST comes in ???????????? pic.twitter.com/FadUwps2io
— Ananth കൃഷ്ണ (@Ananth_Krishna_) June 30, 2017
CAs after #GSTrollout pic.twitter.com/v9NXP3XMdH
— Meghnad (@Memeghnad) June 30, 2017
In central hall, during midnight, excitement and anxiety all around ! Jaitely has packaged tax reforms as sex reforms. #gstrollout
— Rofl Gandhi (@RoflGandhi_) June 30, 2017
There's troll in #gstrollout. Hidden message ????
— Mthn ⛳️ (@Being_Humor) June 30, 2017
Though I support #GST, had2laugh!:BJP नेता नें व्यापारी से पूछा:GST का क्या मतलब है?व्यापारी ने जवाब दियाG - गईS - सरकारT - तुम्हारी!
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 22, 2017
The amount of money they will make now I'm sure GST stands for - (G)ee i wish i had (S)tudied harder and become a chartered accountan(T)
— Atul Khatri (@one_by_two) June 15, 2017