New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the GST Council to meet at the earliest and consider reducing or abolishing goods and services tax (GST) on air purifiers due to the deteriorating air quality in the national capital.
A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela listed the matter for December 26, asking the authorities’ counsel to inform the court when the council can convene.
Earlier, the court had expressed displeasure over the lack of action by authorities to grant tax relief on air purifiers in this “emergency situation” when the Air Quality Index (AQI) is “very poor.”
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions for the central government to classify air purifiers as “medical devices” and place them under the five per cent GST slab. Currently, air purifiers are taxed at 18 per cent.
The petition, filed by advocate Kapil Madan, argued that air purifiers cannot be treated as luxury items amid the “extreme emergency crisis” caused by severe air pollution in Delhi, asserting that access to clean indoor air is indispensable for health and survival.
“Imposition of GST at the highest slab upon air-purifiers, a device that has become indispensable for securing minimally safe indoor air, renders such equipment financially inaccessible to large segments of the population and thereby inflicts an arbitrary, unreasonable, and constitutionally impermissible burden,” the plea said.
Category: Breaking News
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