GST 2.0: A Citizen's Gratitude and a Nation's Call to Comply

For years, citizens and businesses alike lamented the maze of slabs, exemptions, and interpretational disputes that clogged the system

- Dr. Shailesh Haribhakti

When India looks back at its journey to becoming a developed nation, certain reforms will stand out as epochal. The abolition of licensing, the embrace of digital public infrastructure, the roll-out of Aadhaar—all transformed the citizen-state relationship. To this list we must now add GST 2.0.

The Government's bold decision to rationalise rates into two broad slabs of 5% and 18%, and to reserve a capped 40% for sin and luxury goods, is not a routine adjustment. It is a watershed that simplifies, streamlines, and restores the GST to its true purpose: a transparent, predictable, and trust-inducing tax regime.

For years, citizens and businesses alike lamented the maze of slabs, exemptions, and interpretational disputes that clogged the system. Today, that maze has been cleared. This reform deserves not just applause but deep gratitude.

Fiscal Rectitude Intact India's economic credibility rests on one principle—fiscal rectitude. Even with a potential short-term revenue sacrifice of up to ₹93,000 crore in a static-demand scenario, the design of GST 2.0 ensures discipline.