Plea against GST double taxation

A petition has been filed before the Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday alleging that the consumer had been made liable to pay double goods and service tax (GST) both for the Centre and state under the newly introduced tax regime. As per the petition filed in public interest, petitioner Jagmohan Singh Bhatti has submitted that GST was being slapped twice on the consumer for consumption of one item. The petitioner has sought directions to restrain hotels, restaurants and dhabas from charging double GST from the consumers. The petition was filed before the high court on Monday and expected to come up for hearing on Tuesday. The petitioner, a local lawyer, stated people could not be asked to pay double by way of central and state taxes. He added the consumer had been tax burdened and there was no relief. The move would result not only in double taxing, but also increase corruption, defeating the very purpose of the GST. According to the petitioner, dhabas and restaurants charged the central GST and state GST at equal ratio of 9% after the new tax's June 30 midnight implementation. He submitted some food bills along with the petition in which some dhabas and restaurants had charged double GST from the consumers. The petitioner has also submitted that the 101st Constitutional Amendment through which GST was implemented was an outcome of non-application of mind, resulting in financial chaos among the consumer and businessmen.