Breathing crisis: While hearing on GST on air purifiers, HC seeks reply from Center in 10 days
New Delhi. Delhi High Court has directed the Central Government to file a reply on the petition to reduce GST on air purifiers in view of the poor air quality in the capital. The vacation bench of Justices Vikas Mahajan and Vinod Kumar gave the central government 10 days to file its reply on the petition and fixed January 9 for the next hearing of the case.
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Earlier on Wednesday, in view of the deteriorating air quality in the capital, the Delhi High Court had directed the GST Council to meet as soon as possible and consider reducing or completely eliminating the GST on air purifiers. A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela gave this direction while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL).
On the very first day, the court had expressed displeasure at the government that even during the emergency situation, when the air quality index (AQI) is in the ‘very poor’ category, nothing is being done to provide tax exemption on air purifiers. The bench said that if we cannot provide clean air to the citizens, then at least reduce the GST on air purifiers. Currently, 18 percent GST is levied on air purifiers. In the petition, a demand has been made to consider it as a medical device and bring GST in 5 percent slab.
In the petition filed by lawyer Kapil Madan, it was said that in the extreme emergency situation of severe pollution in Delhi, air purifiers cannot be considered a luxury item. Clean indoor air has become essential for health and survival. The petition argued that imposing GST on air purifiers in the highest slab makes it economically inaccessible to a large section of the population, which is arbitrary and unconstitutional.
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