JAMMU, Sept. 6 -- Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Gulam Ali Khatana on Friday welcomed the Next-Generation GST reforms, calling them a "historic and people-centric decision" that would ease the financial burden on families, empower farmers, and provide a strong push to small businesses and manufacturing. Khatana said the reforms, cleared at the 56th meeting of the GST Council chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, simplify the tax structure to just two slabs of 5% and 18%, with a special 40% rate for luxury and de-merit goods. The new rates will be implemented from September 22, 2025, a move he described as "timely relief ahead of the festive season."
"The announcement under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji a...