GST Rate Hike Buzz Everywhere...Except My Office, Says Finance Minister Sitharaman

Ahead of the crucial meeting of the Goods and Services Tax Council, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the buzz of an increase in GST rates is everywhere other than her office.

She was responding to a question on talk of current GST rates being raised to make up for the fall in revenues that has even hampered giving compensation to states for loss of revenue from implementation of the indirect tax regime.

“Buzz is everywhere other than my office,” she remarked. Sitharaman, however, did not rule out a hike in GST rates, saying her ministry is yet to apply its mind to it.