Amit Mitra calls the Centre ‘an omnipotent authority’

Kolkata: The West Bengal Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra on Monday accused the Centre of not allowing zero-rating of all the items related to...

Kolkata: The West Bengal Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra on Monday accused the Centre of not allowing zero-rating of all the items related to Covid, including masks, sanitisers and testing kits, which can save the lives of the people during this pandemic.  

Referring to the Centre as 'an omnipotent authority', he said states were not “heard by the Centre” in the last GST council meeting and zero-rating of such items related to Covid pandemic was not allowed. Voices like his were "ignored and muzzled" during the GST Council meeting on Saturday and even his virtual link was cut off, he claimed.

“Nine Chief Ministers, including West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab, demanded zero-rating of all the items related to Covid for temporary basis. However, the Centre did not accept this proposal. We even requested if need be, the rules must be changed by bringing in new ordinance on temporary basis to save the lives of the people. We even proposed 0.1% tax on items as a compromise move but the Centre paid no heed to us,” he said.
Mitra has already written to the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in this regard, expressing his “dissent” and referred to the Centre’s decision to impose GST on Covid vaccines and Covid related items as “anti-people” and "draconian in nature".
The Centre is acting in a majoritarian manner, he observed. “The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also requested the Centre on this issue. The states tried to help people in the time of Covid and we requested zero-rating for a temporary period. But the Centre has become an omnipotent authority. There is a dramatic shift to majoritarianism and thus such an impasse.”
The Council had met on Saturday to discuss tax relief on items used in the prevention and treatment of Covid-19 among other things. After repeated requests, GST charges on ambulance was reduced from 18% to 12%. While it was decided to cut GST on some medicines and hospital equipment, Covid vaccines continue to attract 5 per cent tax.
The vaccine policy has gone for a toss due to the Central government, he added. In his letter to record his "dissent" against these decisions, Mitra said that he tried his best to raise his objections but was not allowed to do so.