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Punjab: CM Announces Waiver Of State’s Share Of GST On Langar Items For Golden Temple
22 March 2018 1:06 PM GMT
Chief Minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh on March 22, announced in the State Assembly that the Punjab government has decided to waive its share of GST imposed on Langar items.
The State Government also moved a resolution urging the centre and the GST council to completely waive off GST on Langar items at Golden Temple.
Along with the Golden Temple, CM announced waiver for Hindu shrines – Amritsar’s Durgiana Mandir and Ram Tirath Temple, he also announced that respective community leaders were allowed to choose a mosque and a church for the benefit, to reinstate that they are a secular force.
CM waives state’s share of GST on langar items
CM Amarinder Singh told the house, “There will be no GST (state share) on langar items at Golden Temple. Besides, no GST will be there for langar items at Durgiana Mandir at Amritsar and the Mosque in Malerkotla. We believe in secularism.”
This announcement from the CM drew appreciation from Opposition Leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira (AAP), Parminder Singh Dhindsa (Shiromani Akali Dal) and Som Prakash (BJP).
Since the share of GST on the purchase of Langar items in Golden Temple for the centre and the state is 50:50, the state Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal asked Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) whether it would press the Modi Government at the Centre to waive centre’s share as well. He said, “In the GST Council, the BJP has a majority. Will the SAD press for waiver of GST on purchases for langar items?“
He was referring to Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal when he said that SAD even had minister in the Modi Government.
Golden Temple, Amritsar has paid Rs 2 crore Good and Services Tax (GST) since its inception in July 2017, on the purchase of ration for the world’s largest community kitchen popularly known as Langar. The Golden Temple bears an expense of about Rs 75 crore annually to feed about 55,000 to 60,000 devotees daily.
As per official figures, between July 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018, the purchase of the Golden Temple’s kitchen amounted to Rs 20.17 crore. The new GST slab had put an extra burden of Rs 1.9 crore.
Read also: Golden Temple Paid Rs 2 Cr GST On Langar Items, Requests Govt To Exempt Tax
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