Former Union Finance Minister of India P. Chidambaram on Saturday said that the goods and services tax (GST) will prove to be a burden on the common man and will adversely affect the micro, small and medium traders because the law has been implemented, no such plan was originally created. This will make many things expensive.

In the press conference, Chidambaram said that the anti-profiting provision of the new law will serve the tools of harassment in the hands of officers.

The former Finance Minister said that 80 percent of the goods and services will be taxed and the prices will go up. They said, "inflation will increase." What is the government doing about this?

Chidambaram said that micro, small and medium enterprises and traders will be badly affected, because they are not prepared to adopt new law. He said, "The trader class wanted some time to adopt GST, but the government refused to give him time."

The former Finance Minister said that an awkward arrangement has been made in the name of the agreement and the law was implemented in haste, whereas the businessman had asked for some more time because they were not prepared for it. The results of the new law will be seen some time later.

Chidambaram said, "This is not real GST, which Congress expressed its desire and which was ideally prepared by experts. It is sad to change the form and apply it. There can be no worse law than this."

The former Finance Minister said that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had worked hard for this law and at that time the BJP had badly opposed it. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi himself opposed it.

He said, "When BJP was in opposition, it strongly opposed GST. Nobody can deny this fact."

The Congress leader said that GST meant that one tax and Congress had accepted the standard rate of 15 percent, in which one percent less or more was given preference. He said, "We have already said that tax at any rate can not exceed 18 percent. We have also acknowledged that there can not be a rate of tax in view of the current economic situation."

Chidambaram said that unlike the concept of a rate, there are several rates in the new law: zero percent, 2.5 percent, 3 percent, 5 percent, 15 percent, 18 percent, 28 percent and 40 percent.

Chidambaram argued that many products like petroleum, electricity and alcohol are out of the purview of GST. He said, "Surprisingly, petroleum and electricity, which are 35-40 percent of the country's economy, are out of the purview of GST."

The Congress leader said, "The anti-profiting provision of the new law will work as a tool of harassment in the hands of the authorities and everyone knows that when the tools of harassment are given in the hand of the authorities, what happens then.''

Chidambaram said that Congress is not against GST, but the way in which it is being implemented and in the changed format it is against it.

Chidambaram also said that the impact of GST will be on inflation. The Congress had boycotted the midnight concert at the Central Hall of Parliament for the implementation of GST.

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