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Deputy Prime Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said he had conveyed the concerns of traders about the status of the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) under the jurisdiction of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Ajit Pawar, who also holds the finance portfolio, said, “When I had the chance to visit Delhi and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah a couple of days ago, I talked about this issue. I brought this matter up to Amit Shah ji and he said he would take note of it. I told him that if Go ahead, there is potential to create problems for many, especially merchants.”
He was responding to the query raised by Congress MLA and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan during discussion of the Maharashtra Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill 2023 in the Legislative Assembly.
Raising the issue, Chavan asked Ajit Pawar to speak at the GST Board to relay the concerns of traders across the state about possible harassment by agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate if the decision is taken.
“He (Amit Shah) told me that he is also aware of the concerns of the traders and that the government will take steps to ensure that no injustice is committed against anyone,” he said.
Pawar added that he will also raise the issue at the next meeting of the GST Board.
The Bill introduced and passed in the State Assembly was in accordance with the amendments made by the Center in the Goods and Services Tax Act, with respect to Data Archiving Policy, Input Tax Credit, Returns, Courts, etc.
Earlier, NCP MLA Rohit Pawar had raised the issue of delaying GST compensation to the state.
The finance minister said the state would receive compensation for five years.
In 2018-19 Maharashtra received Rs 8,467 crore, in 2019-20 it received Rs 18,846 crore and in 2020-21 it received Rs 4,7475 crore.
“Out of the Rs 35,929 crore in 2021-22, we have received Rs 30,008 and out of the Rs 7,293 crore for 2022-23, we have received Rs 2,102 crore. We are communicating with the central government on outstanding funds and we are sure we will get it.
Rohit Pawar also asked about the possible move to implement GST on fuel and the country’s stance on it.
The Minister of Finance said that many countries opposed the inclusion of fuel in the goods and services tax because it would lead to a loss for the state treasury.
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