GST reforms will benefit 90 pc households: Dinakar

Ongole: Anoutreach and interaction seminar on GST reforms was held at the Collectorate here on Friday, aimed at raising public awareness about the benefits of recent tax changes introduced by the Central government.

The event, organised by the Commercial Taxes Department, featured Lanka Dinakar, Chairman of Twenty-Point Programme Implementation Committee, as the chief guest. Ongole MLA Damacharla Janardhana Rao, Commercial Taxes Additional Commissioner Satya Prakash, and presidents of various business associations, including the Chartered Accountants Association, Chamber of Commerce, STP Association, and others, participated in the programme.

Speaking at the seminar, Dinakar emphasised ‘Atmanirbhar Next Generation GST Reforms’ under ‘Super GST – Super Savings’ programme, aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Viksit Bharat vision. He stressed that traders, GST officials, Consumer Commissions, and professionals must collaborate to ensure quality goods reach citizens at fair prices.

Highlighting the decisions made at the 56th GST Council meeting, Dinakar praised the rationalisation of GST rates from four slabs to just two, 5 percent and 18 percent, effective September 22, 2025. He commended Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for being the first to introduce an assembly resolution in support of these reforms. He observed that the reforms are expected to benefit 90 percent of the Indian households by reducing the costs of essential goods and services. He stated that the key changes in GST reforms include exemptions for life and health insurance, zero or 5 percent GST on food items and life-saving medicines, reduced rates on educational materials, and lower taxes on agricultural tractors and vehicles with a capacity of less than 1500 CC.

Dinakar noted that festive season sales already reflect the impact, with over 30,000 Maruti small cars sold in a single day due to reduced GST rates. He directed officials to prepare comparative price charts for essential items, such as milk, curd, and ghee. Countering opposition criticism, He highlighted that the GST has reduced the maximum tax rate from over 31 percent pre-2017 to 28 percent today, while implementing the ‘One Nation, One Tax’ principle and funding major government initiatives, including defense, infrastructure, and welfare schemes, all while simultaneously reducing the tax burden on citizens.

Later, Dinakar, Janardhana Rao, and officials visited D-Mart, Keerthi Medical Shop, and Balaji Automotive Showroom, where they interacted with customers. They explained the tax reductions to the people and inquired with the store management staff about the transfer of benefits. They stated that every merchant should reduce prices according to the new GST slabs and warned that action would be initiated against those who are reluctant to pass on the benefit to consumers.