the goan I network
PANAJI
Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho who is representing Goa at the GST Council meetings on Monday said he will try and get the GST slab rationalised at 18% for all hotels in Goa. Presently hotels who have tarrifs above 7,500/ night, are charged 28% GST.
At a function organised to mark completion of two years of GST, GCCI president Manoj Caculo had urged the government to reduce GST for starred hotels, as it is affecting the hotel industry which is facing competition from other Asian destinations.
“Tourism in India has become costlier than Singapore and Sri Lanka so there is need to reduce GST,” Caculo had said at the function where CM Pramod Sawant and other government officials dealing with GST were
present.
While addressing the demands of the hotel industry, Godhino said that it was he who earlier demanded and got state GST for room tariff below 7500 be reduced from 28% to 18%.
He further said that he is trying to get rates rationalised to 18% for all hotels and expressed confidence of achieving success.
“I had strongly advocated the case by putting an argument that if the tax rate continues to be high than we will find tourists moving beyond our country. Within 45 minutes to an hour, you can reach other South East Asian destinations where there are better facilities and costs are much lower,” Godinho said.
Sawant said all issues related to implementation of GST will be addressed time and again when they crop up.
Businessman Srinivas Dempo said, States adding cess on products is against the basic principle of GST and sought that alcohol and petroleum products should also be brought under the GST
regime.
