Midnight launch not in good taste, says Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the midnight GST launch event in Parliament was “not in good taste”

“While GST (goods and services tax) is an important step towards reforming the tax system in the country, the hyped midnight celebration was uncalled for and not in good taste,” he said in a Facebook post.

He stressed the need to allay the fears of people over the GST and the necessity to make sure that companies comply with anti-profiteering clause. He also wanted steps to ensure that benefits are transferred to the ordinary citizens.

“Midnight celebration??? We still need to conduct many ‘day-Long’ public awareness campaigns about #GST, simplifying it for common public and address doubts of small traders,” he said.

The transition can be disruptive for many small and medium businesses in the country, he said, adding that many experts have questioned the reliability of the software powering the system.