The Union Minister for Textiles and Information & Broadcasting Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani says that no one can harass a person who wants to come into formal economy through GST Addressing a seminar on ‘GST – a Tool for Inclusive Growth’ organised in Ahmedabad today, the Minister said past transactions are not to be checked under this system. There will be no punishment for being honest. Smt. Irani said if government agencies or officer will ask about past transactions or harasses anyone, direct action will be taken against them. The Minister asked traders and business persons to draw attention of MPs and central ministries, if any such incident occurs. She said that GST is not just ‘Good and Simple Tax’ but it also a ‘Great step towards Transparency’. “Beauty of the GST is it is a Destination tax and it gives money back through Tax credit”, she added. Textiles minister said that implementation of GST is an historic event and we are proud to be a witness of such historic event. She said that all parties came on a single platform in GST council for its successful implementation.
The Minister said that no one wants to be a Tax evader, if the system is transparent and simple. She said and that this is the change that the Union Government is bringing in, under the leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. “Government has taken a number of pro poor steps in its three (3) years, to make system more transparent and simpler through Jan Dhan Yojana, Mudra Yojana, Direct benefit transfer etc. and GST is also a part of this.”, she added. Smt. Irani along with other government officers gave answers of the queries raised by traders and businessmen. Minister assured them that for those who want to remain honest; there is no reason to be worried. The Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare of Government of Gujarat, Smt Nirmala Wadhwani, Members of Parliament Shri Paresh Rawal, Dr. Kirit Solanki and several other dignitaries were also present on this occasion.