BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Thursday expressed strong dissatisfaction over the new GST slabs announced by the Centre, stating they would lead to a revenue loss of Rs 1,000 crore per month for Odisha.
Addressing a media conference here, senior vice-presidents Debi Prasad Mishra and Niranjan Pujari further reiterated the party’s demand of complete tax exemption on kendu leaf and handloom products.
“The party has since 2018 been demanding complete GST exemption on kendu leaf and the then chief minister Naveen Patnaik had even written letters to the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman requesting for a waiver. However, the demand has yet again been ignored by the Centre,” they added.
The BJD leaders further pointed out that though the GST on kendu leaf has been reduced from 18 per cent to 5 per cent under the revised slab, it does not benefit the collectors in any significant way. “These tribal and poor workers involved in kendu leaf collection will receive no added benefits from this tax change,” they added.
Pujari said, just like the kendu leaf, the BJD has been consistently demanding complete GST exemption on handloom products keeping the weavers’ interest in mind. The GST on handloom products has been reduced to 5 per cent from the previous 18 per cent.
“GST exemption on handloom sector has been a long-standing demand of the BJD to encourage and support the weavers who belong to the economically-poor section of the society,” he said.