Roll back immediately decision taken for levying GST on food items, other essential: Hakeem tells Centre

Srinagar : Chairman Jammu & Kashmir People’s Democratic Front (J&K PDF ) and former Minister Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen has expressed serious concern over levying of GST on food items , terming the decision as killing for poor and middle class sections of the society .He has urged the government to roll back the decision immediately.
In a statement issued on Wednesday , Hakeem has taken strong exception to the levying of 5 percent GST on rice, wheat, milk ,and other essentials. He said the decision would severally affect the poor who were already living a miserable life under the stress of neck braking dearness and price inflammation in the market. ” GST on essential commodities of daily consumption and on hospital rooms will compound sufferings of the people ” Hakeem said while urging the government to roll back the decision immediately . He said after manifold increase in the prices of cooking gas and fuel , government has now hiked prices of basic food items , which was great injustice with the people .He said levying of GST on common food items shall have serious implications on common Mann’s budget.
The PDF Chairman further said that Government can not absolve from it’s responsibility about failure to provide essential commodities to the people on affordable prices. ” Poor people want respite from skyrocketing dearness in the market , not government narrative and fiscal technicalities like packaged and pre- packaged food items ,” Hakeem observed adding that in both the cases , it was essential food items , that have been brought under the GST regime .
Hakeem said that his party had from day one , opposed imposition of the new tax regime GST in Jammu and Kashmir but the previous governments didn’t paiy any heed to to our pleas and to appease their bosses at the centre , extended ambit of the new tax regime to our State. He said levying 5 percent GST even on unbranded packed rice, wheat, milk, curd and other daily essentials will severely affect the poor and middle class people t . ” Even hospital and the hotel sectors have not been spared from GST ,” Hakeem said adding that the move shall have negative affect on the tourism industry.