PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that the 28 per cent GST on full face value of bets in online gaming as well as casinos has affected the overall footfalls in Goa.
Sawant who attended the GST council meeting in Delhi on Monday, said that there is a need for a rethink on this issue.
“Overall footfall has been affected. People who were coming to Goa only to visit or play in casinos are now preferring to go to foreign countries including Sri Lanka,” he said.
Sawant said the State should be given an opportunity to represent the case related to the levy of 28 per cent GST on betting in casinos.
Meanwhile, Goa will host the next meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the real estate sector on September 24.
Sawant heads the GoM and said the meeting will focus on government relief to the sector aimed at boosting growth.
A year ago, Goa had officially lobbied to exempt casinos from the levy of 28 per cent GST on the total face value of bets during the discussions on the issue in the GST council. However, the demand was ignored as bigger States vetoed Goa’s official stance.
Road contractors to be blacklisted
Meanwhile, Sawant said road contractors who do not comply with the government’s directive to repair roads they had executed but damaged by rains will be blacklisted by the PWD.
