'GST Savings Festival Begins Tomorrow, Reforms to Benefit Poor, Middle Class': PM Modi Addresses Nation (WATCH)

PM Modi addressed the nation on the Navratri eve and emphasised said GST reforms will ease the burden of everyday expenses for poor and middle class. He added that reforms will make essential goods cheaper for citizens who would be able to save more

On the eve of Navaratri that begins on Monday, September 22 and coincides with the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation. In his address, the PM Modi said, "From tomorrow in the nation, 'GST Bachat Utsav' will commence. Your savings will increase and you will be able to buy your favourite things...'GST Bachat Utsav' will benefit all sections of the society…"

The Prime Minister added, "... When India embarked on GST reform in 2017, it marked the beginning of changing an old history and creating a new one. For decades, our country's people and our country's traders were entangled in a web of various taxes. Octroi, entry tax, sales tax, excise, VAT, service tax - dozens of such taxes existed in our country. To send goods from one city to another, we had to cross countless checkpoints..."

PM Modi recalls 2014 tax that made domestic trade harder

In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled a foreign newspaper story about a company finding it easier to send goods from Bengaluru to Europe than to Hyderabad due to India’s complex taxes and tolls. He said countless businesses and citizens faced similar daily struggles, with higher transportation costs ultimately burdening poor consumers. PM Modi stressed that it was essential to free the country from this maze of taxes, which made internal trade costly and inefficient, hurting both companies and customers alike.

The PM added, “When you gave us the opportunity in 2014, we made GST our priority in the public interest and in the national interest. We discussed with every stakeholder. We addressed every state's doubts and found solutions to every question. By taking all states on board, India's largest tax reform became possible. It was the result of the efforts of the central and state governments that the country was freed from the web of dozens of taxes, and a uniform system was established for the entire country. The dream of 'One Nation, One Tax' was realised...”

PM Modi on GST reforms

Highlighting that reform is a continuous process, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "As times change and the country's needs change, next-generation reforms are equally necessary. These new GST reforms are being implemented, keeping in mind the country's current needs and future dreams..."

The PM added, "In the last eleven years, 25 crore people in the country have defeated poverty. Having emerged from poverty, a large group of 25 crore people, known as the neo-middle class, is playing a significant role in the country today. This neo-middle class has its own aspirations and dreams. This year, the government presented a gift by making income up to Rs 12 lakh tax-free and naturally, when income tax relief up to Rs 12 lakh is granted, the lives of the middle class undergo a profound transformation, bringing about so much simplicity and convenience...Now, the poor, the neo-middle class, and the middle class are receiving a double bonanza. With the reduction in GST, it will be easier for the citizens of the country to fulfil their dreams..."

'Nagrik Devo Bhava' reflects in GST 2.0, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “...We are moving forward by following the mantra of 'Nagrik Devo Bhava' and we can see its reflection in the next generation's GST reforms. If we combine the income tax exemption and the GST exemption, the decisions made in one year will save the people of the country more than Rs 2.5 lakh crore and that's why I say, this is a savings festival”