People hurt when they needed relief: Varun Gandhi on GST

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party MP Varun Gandhi on Monday criticized imposing GST on packaged food items such as milk, curd, and rice, saying this will hurt people already struggling with “record-breaking unemployment”.

Gandhi tweeted, “This decision taken amid record-breaking unemployment will put more financial burden on the middle-class families, especially struggling youngsters living in rented houses. We are hurting them at a time when they needed relief.”

A 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) has kicked in on pre-packaged and labeled food items such as cereals, pulses and flour weighing less than 25 kg.

The Union Finance Ministry issued a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the levy of the GST on items ranging from cereals and pulses to curd, butter, and ‘lassi’.