Daijiworld Media Network- Panaji

Panaji, Sep 17: BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha on Tuesday alleged that during the Congress regime, large-scale tax evasion, corruption, and misappropriation of government funds were rampant, while the poor were deprived of their rightful benefits.

Addressing a press conference in Panaji, Sinha said, “In Congress rule, if Rs 100 was sent to a beneficiary, only Rs 15 would reach him. Today, under the BJP government, the entire amount is directly deposited into people’s bank accounts.”

He added that traders and citizens were harassed through multiple taxes under Congress. “The BJP government implemented the ‘One Nation, One Tax’ system through GST, making the process transparent and efficient. Recently, significant reductions have been made in GST rates, which will directly benefit the common people,” Sinha stated.

Highlighting the growth in revenue, he pointed out that before GST, only 65 lakh taxpayers were registered, contributing about Rs 7 lakh crore. After GST implementation, the taxpayer base has expanded to 1.51 crore, generating revenue of Rs 22 lakh crore. “This additional revenue has enabled the government to launch several development projects,” he said.

Sinha announced that the new GST regime will come into effect from September 22, under which household goods, food items, and vehicles will become cheaper. Several items have been brought under zero GST, providing relief to the public. He further informed that GST on agricultural equipment has been slashed from 18 per cent to just 5 per cent, which will benefit farmers across the country.

BJP Goa state president Damu Naik, party spokesperson and MLA Daji Salkar, along with Jayaram Kholkar, head of the BJP’s Chartered Accountant cell, were also present at the press conference.