CPI says Centre in hurry; to skip midnight session on GST implementation tomorrow

Hyderabad: The Communist Party of India (CPI) would skip the special midnight meeting on Friday on Goods and Services Tax (GST) implementation, as it accused the Centre of being in a hurry to launch it without heeding to appeals by sections of the concerned industry.

Communist Party of India General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said the party, after discussions with its MPs, decided to skip the meeting convened by the government.

The CPI currently has one member each in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

"They (the government) are doing it in a hurry without giving proper time," Reddy told said, airing his party's concerns on GST.

He said the tax slabs under GST are much higher than earlier on things like shoes, slippers, clothes and textiles, all of which would now be costlier though there may be some goods whose prices would also come down.

"The government is not ready to heed to some of the appeals (of sections of the concerned industry), and they are going ahead in a hurry," Reddy said.

He said that banking transactions, as also credit and debit card ones, have become costlier.

"Taking into consideration all this, we have decided to avoid the session," Reddy said.