the goan I network
PANAJI
The 37th meeting of the Goods-and-Services-Tax (GST) Council will take place in Goa on September 20. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be in the State to chair the all important meeting.
Reliable sources informed that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Minister for Panchayat Mauvin Godinho will also be part of the GST Council meet. Principal Secretary (Finance) to the State Government Daulat Hawaldar and Commissioner of Commercial Taxes Dipak M Bandekar too will attend the meeting.
As of now, it is not certain as to which issues pertaining to Goa will be taken up at the GST Council meet. The tourism industry is hoping that the GST Council will bring down the tax rate from 28% on hotels charging Rs 7,500 or above per night per room.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has already submitted a plea to the Chief Minister to reduce the GST rate on hotels from 28% to 12%. It remains to be the seen whether this issue will be taken up or not at the upcoming meet.
Meanwhile, there are a
number of issues pertaining to national economy, which will also be taken up. In fact, Sitharaman has said that the decision on the issue of tax rate cut on automobiles will be taken up at the upcoming council meet.
This is after automobile sector, pan-India, has urged the Central Government to reduce tax rate on automobiles. The auto sector is facing its worst slowdown in nearly two decades. A number of other issues will also be taken up.
On September 19, a meeting of officers from several state governments pertaining to GST issues will also be held in Goa, which will be chaired by Revenue Secretary of India, Ajay Bhushan Pandey.
