GST Council meeting is being held today under the chairmanship of Union Finance Minister Nimala Sitharaman ....

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting is being held today under the chairmanship of Union Finance Minister Nimala Sitharaman.

The removal of the GST tax on drugs used to treat corona and black fungus infections is expected to be discussed at the meeting.

The 44th GST Council meeting will be held on video. It will be attended by Anurag Thackeray, Union Finance Minister, Finance Ministers of the States and Union Territories, and key officials of the Central and State Governments.

A committee comprising state finance ministers headed by Meghalaya Finance Minister Conrad Sangma has been set up to look into the abolition of GST levied on medical oxygen, pulse oximet, sanitizer, essential medicines and oxygen concentrators.

The committee, which includes finance ministers from Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Chhattisgarh, will discuss the report at the GST Council meeting.

Corona vaccines are taxed at 5 percent GST. It is noteworthy that a 12 per cent freight-service tax is levied on imported oxygen concentrators and pharmaceuticals for corona.