In his most recent attack on the BJP, the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, took aim at the most recent verdict of the Gujarat Appellate Authority of Advance Ruling. This verdict stated that parathas are distinct from plain chapati or roti, and it also stated that even the British did not impose taxes on food items. Kejriwal’s comments were made in response to this verdict. According to the decision, the GST rate that applies to parathas is 18%. A food manufacturer filed an appeal in September against the 18% GST that was placed on packed parathas. As a result, a new judgement was issued. As the 18% GST on paratha continued to be a contentious issue, several appeals were made against it, and as a result, similar judgements have been imposed by state agencies implicated in the matter.
When Kejriwal shared a news article on the ruling, he wrote: “Even the British did not place a tax on edible goods. [Case in point:] The high rate of GST that has been imposed by the central government is the primary factor contributing to inflation in the country at the present time. It ought to be brought down, and individuals ought to do away with inflation.”
The company that filed the appeal stated that it manufactures eight different types of packed paratha. Depending on the type of paratha, the primary ingredients include wheat flour and vegetables such as radish or potato. The respondent asserted that pizza bread, rusk, and toasted bread are exempt from the GST at the rate of 5%; however, whereas prepared parathas are exempt from the GST at the rate of 18%, pizza bread is not ready to consume and must be cooked. According to the judgement, packed paratha cannot be subject to the same GST as packaged chapati because chapati are already prepared for consumption, and the materials that go into them are also different.
This comes as the BJP and the AAP are currently engaged in a heated debate ahead of the state election in Gujarat. As a result of the widespread condemnation of the ‘abusive’ statements that Gopal Italia made, the head of the AAP BJP was taken into custody in Delhi on Thursday.
