‘Government is imposing shroud tax’, said the leader of India Alliance during the protest against GST on insurance

GST On Insurance Services: Opposition alliance INDIA protested in the Parliament House complex on Tuesday (06 August). Opposition leaders demand that 18 percent GST on life insurance and health insurance premiums be withdrawn. MPs protested in front of the ‘Makar Dwar’ of Parliament House.

During this, the opposition MPs were holding placards in their hands on which was written the demand to abolish GST from health insurance and life insurance. They also raised slogans of ‘GST abolish karo’. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and MPs from Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (SP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha along with some other parties joined the protest.

What did Kharge post?

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge posted on ‘X’, ‘Today (August 06) in the Parliament premises, the constituent parties of ‘India’ demanded immediate removal of 18 percent GST on health and life insurance premium because this forced collection is a severe blow to our people, especially the middle class.’

He claimed, ‘The middle class is already struggling under the burden of the Modi government’s tax collection policies. India’s medical inflation rate in 2024 is the highest in Asia at 14 percent. On top of that, this ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’ on life insurance and health insurance is inhuman, and another reprehensible example of BJP’s policy of looting from ‘opportunity in disaster’.

What did Rahul Gandhi say?

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi posted on ‘X’ and said that the opposition alliance ‘India’ opposes the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on health and life insurance and the government will have to make both insurances tax-free. Rahul alleged that looking for a ‘tax opportunity’ before every disaster is a proof of the insensitive thinking of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

What did other leaders say?

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said, ‘This government is imposing shroud tax. This is a huge loot. The ‘India’ alliance will strongly protest against this.’ Recently, Trinamool Congress MPs had raised this issue in Parliament and the party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on this matter.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has also requested Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to remove 18 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on life insurance and medical insurance premium. In a letter to the Finance Minister, Gadkari raised the concerns of the Nagpur Mandal Life Insurance Corporation Employees Union, which had submitted a memorandum to him regarding the issues of the insurance industry.

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