GST: What all you know?

If we shoot this question to a lay man what will be his reaction. I can say with damn confidence that he will
simply glare at you. India is a developing country. I has got somany people living under the line of poverty.
Poverty means lack of education also (by product of indian development). Being in a democratic system the
majority of the people in India are suffering the disease called ill development. Some are developing not all,
some are enjoying the fruits of development in fashion but some are simply watching it.
Our former primer minister once said-when we spend Re 1 for the poor only 20 paise will reach to them. He was
blaming the inefficiency of the system. When we talk about all government schemes the same is happening
everywhere. Take the case of prestigious projects by governments that they announce on a regular basis,
always a minority knows all about it. Being unknown simply means the are not getting benefited from it. As also
the policies by government- there is a vast majority of people who are unknown about it. The danger resides
there, because all the policies are intended towards aam admi when they are unaware of it the virtue of the
policies are lost.
Now take the case of the introduction of GST. Last central budget announced that goods and services tax will be
in effect from April 1st, 2010. Former finance minister P. Chidambaram set the target time for the introduction of
GST in 2006-07. After a gap of only three years government is going to introduce the new tax system.
Government plans to collect the tax from it's people, but the very people don't know what is happening. How
pity? Isn't it. When the European union introduced a common currency called euro they even published the
details about the currency in comic books for children under the head-euro is simple. The west is more
concerned about knowledge passing. Be it policy change or some big developments in the country they are
eager to distribute it to all irrespective of their age and gender. But in India this is not the practice. One day
government will announce a policy change, ofcourse media will carry it. Is it reaching every individual of this big
country, the answer will be a big zero.
I only mean to say government should do it's public relations duty in a more fruitful way. It should be transparent
and user friendly. When it comes to knowledge distribution it should depend popular media also. GST is actually
a leap forward in the taxation in this country. As analysts say they need consessus of various states for the
proper implementation of the new tax system. If they educate people properly through the media, they will line up
behind the government and through this public opinion they can smoothly Implement the new system of taxation.
After all people is considered as kings in a democratic system. By doing this government is only giving due
respect to people rights.

Pramod Thomas