HC slams govt over 18% GST on air purifiers: 'breathe 21,000 times a day, can't govt help?
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : The Delhi High Court has strongly reprimanded the Central Government for the rising air pollution in Delhi and the high GST on air purifiers. The court stated clearly that when the government and related agencies are unable to provide citizens with clean air to breathe, the least that can be done is to make air purifiers cheaper so that people can protect themselves and their families.
The case is related to the demand to reclassify air purifiers as medical devices and reduce the GST on them from 18 percent to 5 percent. During the hearing, the High Court, referring to the serious situation of pollution in Delhi, said that thousands of people are falling ill due to bad air, but despite this the government has failed to take concrete and immediate steps. We breathe 21 thousand times a day and imagine how much harm will be caused by breathing polluted air. The court said that GST on air purifiers can be waived at least for a week or a month.
The court asked the central government's lawyer what the point of a deadline was when the situation was so dire. The court sternly remarked that people were dying due to rising pollution, and every citizen needed clean air. If the government couldn't provide even that, it should at least ensure that people could afford air purifiers.
The lawyer representing the central government told the court that the matter was under process and would be resolved within the stipulated timeframe. The court expressed displeasure at this, asking why 15 days were needed to respond. Couldn't the government respond even during the vacation bench? The court asked what the government was proposing and when it would be clarified. The High Court also asked why exemptions under the National Security Act could not be granted as a temporary measure during an air emergency. Why doesn't the government call a meeting of the GST Council? It should be informed when the GST Council is going to meet. Is this proposal going before the GST Council?
The central government's lawyer stated that the issue had already been raised before a parliamentary committee and that the committee had issued instructions in this regard. The matter would be heard again at 2:30 p.m.