Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi and demanded a rollback of 12 percent GST on Serais (inns) near the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab.
“On behalf of the people of Punjab, I met the Hon’ble FM Nirmala Sitharaman ji today to convey two pressing issues. Firstly, the recent decision to impose 12 percent GST on the serais that serve devotees to the Holy Golden Temple,” the Rajya Sabha MP tweeted.
He further said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on such inns “reminds one of Aurangzeb’s jizya on pilgrims.”
In a series of tweets, Chadha said that imposing taxes on such inns is “morally “For a holy place that witnesses thousands of daily devotees, the affordable lodging provided by the Serais (inns) operated by the SGPC cannot be separated from the visit. The purpose of the serais is Sangat Seva, not profit. Taxing such entities is morally impermissible,” he said.
This comes after, recommendations were made at the latest GST Council meeting held in Chandigarh in late July to impose 12 percent GST on “hotel accommodations” priced up to Rs 1,000.
Following this, 12 percent GST on the accommodation was reportedly imposed in three Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee-run “Serais”, including Baba Deep Singh Yatri Niwas, Mata Bhag Kaur Niwas and Sri Guru Gobind Singh NRI Niwas, which are all located outside the shrine’s premises.
The AAP MP also sought a special financial package for the State of Punjab.
Noting that the water table has dropped to unimaginable levels in Punjab, Chadha said there is a need for a big financial package with additional water resources, as “just reparations for the sacrifice by Punjab’s farmers in growing paddy despite its absence from Punjab’s staple diet.”
“I hope the Hon’ble FM Nirmala Sitharaman will provide a solution, and grant relief,” he added.
