Ujjain: The corona patients and their kin across the country are suffering financial hardships by footing exorbitant bills for treatment without even bothering to raise the issue of high taxes that they are paying while doing so.
However, now a young boy from the city has brought attention to the fact that government collects a whopping 28 per cent GST on the sale of oxygen, healthcare products and other services that are essential for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
City’s youth Gaurav Dhakad has launched a campaign #ScrapeGST #GSTFreeHealthCare to make the deaf hear the plight of commoners. He said that the Twitter campaign is a wake-up call for the ministers and the babus of the country regarding this urgent matter affecting the people across the country.
He said the second wave of corona had affected people from all walks of life, and the prevailing high rate of GST is adding on to the woes of corona patients and their kin.
Subsequently, the Union government issued an order on Saturday night and reduced the IGST to 12 per cent tax on imported oxygen concentrators. The government has already exempted it from import duties.
However, Gaurav termed the Centre’s move as a half-baked measure.
He demanded that the government must make health products, including ‘Make in India’ products and services- tax-free, at least, during the pandemic.
Citing an example, he said, “If the cost of hospitalisation comes out to be Rs 10 lakh, then the patient ends up paying Rs 2.8 lakh as taxes.
Gaurav said the collection of taxes at such steep rates from the patients and their kin during the worst phase of the pandemic is outrightly inhuman and unjust.
