Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha MP and party’s Chief Whip at Rajya Sabha, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy and state education minister Bratya Basu today slammed the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman for not waiving GST on ambulance, oxygen and other Covid related drugs.

Both Mr Roy and Basu pointed out that on 9 May, chief minister. wrote to the Prime Minister requesting him to waive GST from oxygen, vaccination and other Covid related drugs.

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“But today at the end of GST council meeting, we have observed with great pain that the Union finance minister instead of waiving GST on Covid related medicines, oxygen, oxygen concentrator, she also imposed 12  per cent GST on ambulances,”said the state education minister.

Mr Roy said,”The Centre again proved to be inhuman by imposing 12 per cent GST on ambulances which are use for ferrying Covid and other critically ill patients.” Mr Basu said no other civilised country in the world impose tax on life-saving drugs except India.

He said, “Our chief minister was the first chief minister to write to the Prime Minister to waive the GST.” Mr Roy said  the Centre cannot waive GST on Covid related drugs, oxygen and ambulance but spends Rs 8,000 crore for buying aeroplane for Prime Minister’s personal use and spend Rs 20,000 crore to set up Central Vista and Prime Minister’s residential building.