What’s GST? Survey finds out 55% of Indian population is clueless about it

A survey finds out 55% population doesn't know what is GST.

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, July 6, 2017, 7:38 [IST]

New Delhi, July 6: Do you know what is the Goods and Services Tax (GST)? You may, but the majority of Indian population does not have any inkling about the GST--the latest tax regime which was launched amid much-fanfare by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the historic Central Hall, Parliament, on the intervening night of June 30-July 1.

This is the finding of a survey by a mobile news application company. The survey of over 3.6 lakh people across the country found that two Telugu speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have the highest awareness on the GST with over 64 per cent of population knowing about it.

gst — The GST was launched by PM Narendra Modi on the intervening night of June 30-July 1.

People in Tamil Nadu have the lowest awareness level, the survey by Way2Online found.

"Following an extensive research, the report concludes that less than half the population of India; 45 per cent to be precise, is aware of the new tax system. The remaining 55 per cent is unaware of what GST is," Way2Online said in a statement.

Way2Online, a local language short news application, conducted this survey between June 26-30 with over 3,60,000 participants across the country.

The new tax regime, which became effective from July 1, aims to put an end to number of indirect taxes levied on goods and services and stop duplication of taxes over a product.

The new regime taxes various goods and services at 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent, while keeping essential commodities out.

"Interestingly, even though many are aware about the GST in Telugu speaking States, majority is of the opinion that the change in the tax system is not a good news to them. Our survey showed that only 42 per cent of Telugites are convinced that GST is beneficial and the other 58 per cent responded with either 'Not Beneficial' or 'Have No Idea' about its pros and cons," the statement said.

The survey found that 59 per cent of the urban audience know about GST but still 60 per cent of them think that the new tax regime would not make their lives better and 80 per cent assume that there will be a spike in prices or have no idea about its implications.

"This uncertainty is not only with the urban audience but also with the overall population in our country. A total of 41 per cent expects a surge in the prices and 35 per cent are still not aware of its consequences," the statement said.