‘Lower tax on air purifiers’: HC asks GST Council to hold meet; Delhi’s toxic air in focus | India News

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Wednesday directed the GST Council to meet at the earliest to consider lowering of GST on air purifiers in view of worsening air quality. During the hearing the court questioned the Centre over the imposition of 18% GST on air purifiers.At the outset of the hearing, the bench voiced its displeasure over the lack of action in the matter, observing that every citizen is entitled to clean air, PTI reported.

“Let the purifiers be provided. That’s the minimum you can do. When will you come back?…. Even if it is for temporary, give exemption for next one week or one month… Consider this an emergency situation, only for temporarily. Take instructions and come back,” the bench said.“We will place it before the vacation bench only for compliance. As we speak, we all breathe. You know how many times we breathe in a day, at least 21,000 times a day. Just calculate the harm you are doing to your lungs just by breathing 21,000 times a day, and that’s involuntary,” the bench added.“We will place it before the vacation bench only for compliance. As we speak, we all breathe. You know how many times we breathe in a day, at least 21,000 times a day. Just calculate the harm you are doing to your lungs just by breathing 21,000 times a day, and that’s involuntary,” it further added.In the post-lunch session, the counsel council for the government submitted that the issue fell within the policy domain of the GST Council, a body comprising representatives of all states and the Union, and that any meeting must be convened by the Union finance minister, who chairs the council. “This is a policy decision to be taken by GST council. It comprises of members of all States and Union. The meeting has to be called by the union finance minister who heads the council,” the counsel submitted.Acknowledging that the GST Council is a pan-India body and that convening a meeting may take time, the bench citing the severe air quality in Delhi and adjoining regions, directed that the council meet at the earliest and issued notice to the Centre on the petition.“However, taking into consideration the air quality situation in the state of Delhi and nearby areas, we find it appropriate to require the council to meet at the earliest,” the bench added and issued notice to the Centre on the petition, as reported by PTI.The plea said that levying GST at the highest slab on air purifiers, now essential for ensuring minimally safe indoor air, makes them unaffordable for large sections of the population.“Imposition of GST at the highest slab upon air-purifiers, a device that has become indispensable for securing minimally safe indoor air, renders such equipment financially inaccessible to large segments of the population and thereby inflicts an arbitrary, unreasonable, and constitutionally impermissible burden,” the plea said. The hearing comes as Delhi continues to choke under toxic smog. Parts of the city, including ITO and India Gate, recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, with AQI levels crossing 350, according to CPCB data. GRAP Stage-IV measures have been enforced across Delhi-NCR.(With inputs from PTI)