Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 05 September 2025
Mr. Anil Kumar Tiwari, State President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has welcomed the next generation Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms recently announced by the Central Government.
Mr. Tiwari expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling the assurance made in his Independence Day address and also thanked Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for spearheading the move to rationalise the tax system.
According to Mr. Tiwari, the reforms will lead to a significant reduction in the prices of household essentials, packaged food items, electronic products, and medicines, among other goods, while also giving a fillip to economic growth.
The new structure replaces the existing four-tier GST regime with a two-tier system — a standard rate of 18% and a concessional rate of 5%, along with a 40% demerit rate for luxury items.
“This next generation GST reform, coming during the festive season, will boost the purchasing power of the common man, drive local consumption, and improve affordability and accessibility of products previously out of reach for poor families,” Mr. Tiwari said.
