Page 46 - GSTL_3rd September 2020_Vol 40_Part 1

J28 GST LAW TIMES [ Vol. 40
ness. “Rigorous pre-registration verifications procedures would help arrest the
rampant tax evasion by way of limiting the number of new fake entities,” Mohan
added.
[Source : The Pioneer, New Delhi, dated 22-8-2020]
Seven opposition CMs up in arms over GST dues,
Government’s ‘unilateralism’
Seven Opposition CMs on 26-8-2020 decided to seek a review of the Su-
preme Court decision to hold JEE and NEET examinations in September and to
turn Thursday’s GST Council meet into a stormy event of protest against non-
payment of GST dues to States.
The virtual meeting convened by Congress President Sonia Gandhi was
also designed to display her outreach with Opposition CMs despite the current
rift in the Congress leadership, and the link of the Zoom meeting, hence, was
sent to journalists covering the beat. At the meeting, the four Congress CMs and
their Maharashtra, West Bengal and Jharkhand counterparts vowed to constantly
maintain unity against the Centre’s “unilateralism” and “bulldozing”.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee rallied the CMs around her proposal
to jointly petition the Supreme Court to review its order allowing JEE and NEET
exams next month, by citing the COVID-19 spike. Maharashtra CM Uddhav
Thackeray lashed out at “the concentrated powers of the Centre” and also won-
dered whether there was a need for re-thinking on the GST system in view of the
Centre’s non-payment of dues to States.
Charging the Centre with attempts to “bulldoze” states in decision-
making processes, Banerjee said : “Let us all go to the Supreme Court to post-
pone the (JEE and NEET) exams until the (COVID-19) situation allows students
to sit for exams. Why should the lives of students be put to risk? We have written
to the PM but there has been no response,” Banerjee said. Others endorsed the
proposal. In her opening remarks, Gandhi said opposition parties should also
have a coordinated approach in the upcoming Parliament session on common
issues including GST dues and new education policy.
Expressing his exasperation over the lingering GST dues to States,
Thackeray said : “Should there be a rethink on GST? We need to be open to
changes. We need to think if the earlier system was better. Can there be a middle
path, where we could have some tax system from the earlier and some from the
new? Or was the earlier one better?” Thackeray further said “every power is now
concentrated in one entity. Tomorrow, there might be a system where there
might be no State Governments and only one person would be in charge and
everyone would have to nod to whatever the person does. This cannot be al-
lowed to happen.”
Punjab CM Amarinder Singh said : “We have spent nearly 500 crore.
We’re in a situation where finances of our States are completely down. The Cen-
tre has not paid GST compensation. I agree with Mamataji that we should collec-
tively meet the PM.” Puducherry CM Narayanasamy said if the GST dues are
being delayed so much, his Government will start collecting taxes on its own.
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Bhaghel said the Centre has created a “fearful” situa-
tion amid COVID-19 crisis by non-payment of GST dues for the past four
months.
[Source : The Economic Times, New Delhi, dated 27-8-2020]
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