Taxation Minister Dr. Vanlalthlana Attends 54th GST Council Meeting

Aizawl : The 54th GST Council meeting was held today at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi, under the chairmanship of Union Finance Minister Pi Nirmala Sitharaman. Dr. Vanlalthlana, Mizoram’s Taxation Minister and a member of the GST Council, attended the meeting.

GST, under the Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, is a unified tax system applied to the sale of goods and services across India. For its implementation, all states and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) use a common system software known as the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN). This comprehensive system governs the administration of GST across India. Therefore, this Council meeting holds significant importance for both the Central Government and the GST Council. It is crucial for ministers and officials to participate in such meetings.

In today’s Council meeting, several important agenda items were discussed, and Mizoram was directly involved in these discussions. One of the key highlights was the reduction of the tax rate on cancer medications from 12% to 5%. This reduction will significantly lower the cost of cancer treatment, providing much-needed relief to many cancer patients, especially in Mizoram, where cancer cases are prevalent.

The meeting continued until 6:00 PM today, and Dr. Vanlalthlana is expected to meet with other key ministries and officials tomorrow to discuss further important matters.

Accompanying the Minister at the GST Council meeting were Pu R. Zosiamliana, Commissioner of State Tax, and Pu HK. Lalhawngliana, Additional Commissioner of State Tax.