New Delhi: Levying Goods and Services Tax (GST) on medical supplies such as personal protection gears, hand sanitisers and oxygen needed for covid-19 management is anti-people and draconian, West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra said on Saturday.Mitra’s suggestion comes after the GST council decided earlier in the day to reduce taxes on several medical supplies including oxygen, ventilators and testing kits from 12% to 5%, ambulances from 28% to 12%, furnaces for crematoriums from 18% to 5% and two drugs from 5% to zero.
Several states including West Bengal have been asking for full tax waiver on covid related medical supplies.Mitra said in a letter to union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman that GST being levied on several of these.