Andaman and Nicobar forms panel to study GST impact

Amid fears of price rise after GST implementation, the Andaman and Nicobar islands administration has constituted a committee to study its impact.

Lt Governor of the Union Territory, Lt General A K Singh (retd) said the committee led by chief secretary will study implications of GST for the islands, keeping in mind the prevailing tax regime and subsidies.

“We have only octroi here at present. So, the committee will study how we can implement the new GST. Ours is a peculiar case because of subsidies to islanders. We want a smooth transition to the new GST system,” Singh told PTI.

After the GST Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha a few days ago, local chambers of commerce have expressed apprehension that prices of various commodities in the islands will rise once the new tax regime is implemented.

At present, the UT imposes no sales tax, but only an octroi when any product enters the chain of islands in the Bay of Bengal.