Pay equal attention to GST collection and enrolment: Nirmala Sitharaman at Vapi

“From now, I would want equal attention to be given to the collection of tax – the numbers are going up every month – but equally more establishments and businesses should get enrolled. The country should benefit from having a transparent tax regime in which everybody participates,” she said.

Smt @nsitharaman visits a GST Seva Kendra in Vapi, Gujarat and interacts with the officials and taxpayers present there.

The Union Finance Minister is accompanied by Shri @KanuDesai180, Minister of Finance, Energy & Petrochemicals – Government of Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/5V3J5G4BGY

— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) November 7, 2023

The minister added that “staying out of the system is not good for the country”. “By staying out, you believe – and that is a wrong belief – that you benefit, you do not come into the (tax) net and you are not noticed. But you are losing out on potential buyers of your products,” she said.

Smt @nsitharaman addresses the audience at the e-Lokarapan of 12 GST Seva Kendra in Vapi, Gujarat.

Shri @KanuDesai180, Minister of Finance, Energy & Petrochemicals – Govt of Gujarat, Shri @DrKCPatel4, Hon’ble MP (LS), & Shri Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, Chairman @cbic_india, are also… pic.twitter.com/4LgRFaL60G

— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) November 7, 2023

Sitharaman also said not providing bills to consumers making a purchase was not in “national interest”. “A consumer should make sure that he participates in the nation-building process. You are buying a product and demanding a bill, is a big step forward in transparency. It is a big step forward to make sure that the money that has to go for public causes, goes for it… So, to not bill a customer or to not give the bill to the customer – having obtained his money for the product – is not in the national interest,” Sitharaman said.

She further said that “rates” of essential goods and services have come down compared to the pre-GST era. “Consumers know today that, post-GST, the rates that they pay in tax does not have double taxation or overlaps. Therefore, they are paying far less tax today for essential goods and services than what it was in the pre-GST era… GST has very efficiently brought the rates down,” Sitharaman said.

Speaking on the occasion, Desai said, “Vapi gives direct and indirect employment to more than two lakh people and accounts for 10 per cent of Gujarat’s GSDP.” He added that the foundation stone for Vapi, an industrial township, was laid by Morarji Desai, when he was the Union finance minister.