GST affects lives of people with disabilities

Government of India is almost set to roll out Goods and Services Tax. Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an indirect tax throughout India to replace taxes levied by the central and state governments. It was introduced as The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Second Amendment) Act 2017, following the passage of Constitution 122nd Amendment Bill. The GST is governed by GST Council and its Chairman is Union Finance Minister of India – Arun Jaitley.
GST is expected to be applicable from 1 July 2017.

It is great to see that tax has been removed or reduced on many daily living needs like milk, vegetables etc., it’s sad to see tax has been increased from 0% to 5%, 12% or 18% on goods for people with disabilities such as assistive aids like Wheel chairs, Braille Paper, Brailler etc., Some of the items for which taxes are imposed are:

  • Braille Typewriters – 18%
  • Braille Paper – 12%
  • Braille Watches – 12%
  • Braillers – 5%
  • Carriages for disabled people – motorised or not – 5%
  • Cars for physically disabled persons – 18%

These are not luxuries needs to people with disabilities but essential needs. Hence, request concerned authorities to exempt goods and services for people with disabilities from the taxes. Thanks in advance.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.