The 18% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on entry cards for commercial "garba" activities being organised in Gujarat's main cities as part of the nine-day Navratri holiday has been called for by the opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
While members of these two parties have been holding demonstrations in opposition to the issue, Gujarat's education minister and state spokesperson Jitu Vaghani fired back, claiming that since 2017, the GST had been in place for entry passes to any type of cultural event, including commercial garba programmes, and that every state, including those governed by the Congress, had given its approval.
After United Way of Baroda, a Vadodara-based NGO well-known for hosting a giant garba festival, recently mentioined applicable GST rates on its website, the entry pass GST issue came to light.
As per website, a nine-day pass for men would cost Rs 4,838, which includes Rs 4,100 for the entry fee and Rs 738 for 18% GST, while the entry fee is set at Rs 1,298 for women, which includes Rs 1,100 for the pass and Rs 198 for 18% GST.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Congress and AAP protested for the repeal of the GST in Vadodara, Surat, and Valsad. On Tuesday, ten Congress members under the direction of the Vadodara city unit president Rutvij Joshi performed a garba inside the Vadodara collectorate.
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