Chennai
PMK president and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Anbumani Ramadoss has criticised the Union government’s decision to withdraw the 10 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) concession earlier granted to differently-abled persons for purchasing cars, calling it unjust and insensitive.
In a post on X, Dr Ramadoss said that while the recent revision of GST rates on several commodities — from essential goods to vehicles — brought relief to the general public, the removal of tax exemptions for people with disabilities was deeply disappointing. Before the GST revision, all cars were taxed at a uniform rate of 28 per cent. However, differently-abled individuals were eligible for a 10 per cent tax concession and had to pay only 18 per cent GST when purchasing a car. Following the new rate revision, small cars now attract 18 per cent GST, while larger vehicles face up to 40 per cent. Ramadoss pointed out that this rate restructuring effectively nullifies the special concession provided to the differently-abled, as the government has declared that all consumers — including those with disabilities must now pay the same 18 per cent tax on small cars. This is unfair, he said, adding that the exemption was never a luxury benefit, but a measure of inclusion and empowerment for differently-abled citizens. He argued that the 10 per cent concession helped members of the middle-class and lower-middle-class disabled community afford personal mobility a necessity, not a privilege. Withdrawing this relief will make car ownership an even more distant dream for them, he wrote.