Economic Highlight
New Delhi, 26 June 2017
Internal Trade
GST MUST END BARRIERS
By Shivaji Sarkar
“India’s internal trade GDP ratio at about 54
per cent is comparable to that in other large countries. India for nearly 70
years has affirmed and reaffirmed political “idea of India’, is de facto and de
jure one economic India”, observed Economic Survey 2016-17. “The inter-State
trade is 1.7 times larger than the country’s international trade of 32 per cent
of GDP”. India’s trade profile is thus more similar to that of China at 1.6
times its international trade but less than the US, whose internal trade is 2.5
times its international.
The observation is significant on the eve of
the ceremonial launch of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from the Central Hall of
Parliament House. It means Indians have ingenuity and passion in integrating
the country. Language or the political regionalism is not a barrier in internal
trade expansion. Despite many hurdles more bureaucratic or rule-based the
integration is amazing, the Survey notes.
It has come down heavily on impediments on
truck movements on State borders “with their drivers haggling for official
clearances or subject to extortion”. The GST possibly is not addressing these
issues as of now. It may gradually pave the way for smoother movement. But the
new GST – one national tax with four different components or taxes – is
ignoring it.
Ideally, it should have done away with
highway and other tolls (municipal etc) despite multiplicity of road, parking
and fuel cess on transport movement. “The consequent damages to trade and
economic activity too have been extensively catalogued”, the Survey notes. This
is despite the fact the Indian society is extremely mobile, a dream of father
of the Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar, for conveying a change.
But the costs of movement are about twice as
great. The Survey attributes it to the current indirect taxes. It, however,
does not refer to the inter-district police barriers and jumbling of vehicles
at inter-city borders due to tolls levied by local bodies. The GST presently is
not addressing the issue apparently. The Survey hopes that the GST “by ironing
out oddities may normalise inter-State trade”.
According to a recent report published by
Transport Corporation of India (TCI) and IIM-K, such delays impose transaction
costs of over Rs I lakh crore ($21 billion) annually on India’s businesses. In
addition, it increases average transit times and makes supply chains
inefficient. Enabling seamless movement of goods across India is, in fact, is
considered to be one of the most important aspects of GST-related reforms.
The rules of transport-related documentation
and administrative procedures for checking and inspection of trucks, though
usually unnecessary and often severe duplication, so far has not received
attention. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) says that it is
digitalising the toll gates. It conceals the fact that the tolls are additional
and unnecessary tax as already several kind of road taxes are levied on truck,
bus and other transport movement. It is an additional cost. Each toll gates,
despite supposed electronic control, adds to travel time and creates barriers.
With one GST, check posts at State borders
need to be completely eliminated. Presently, a plethora of forms are needed to
be filled up to satisfy the State Road Transport authorities and also pay an
additional road tax, in some cases even with a national permit. The system of
inspectorate – that thrives of what the Survey notes as extortion – has to be
done away with. This apart, the police and RTO posts levy “taxes” amounting to
about Rs 28,000 crore a year
The GST Network (GSTN) that has already come
out with an IT architecture has to broaden it to include the goods movement.
Instead of each time demanding a hardcopies of invoice and forms, it should
create an automatic ID to end the discretion of inspecting officials. A system
of trust has to be built.
The official system is based on the concept
of mistrust. The human element is missing in it. The distrust apparently is the
creation of the not so honest officials so that extortions can go on. Even the
GST has to be widened beyond taxes to creating a system of having seamless
movement across States.
The GST bill has provisions for substantive
powers for stoppage and seizure of vehicles, which can be potentially abused.
The nation has witnessed how the local police abuses these provisions leading
to lakhs of vehicles being turned into junks at the police stations often just
for the reason that someone has not paid the slush money. This is a severe
penalty and soar business costs, causes uncertainty and hampers trade. Such
clauses should gradually be out of the law books so that business and trade can
thrive, jobs are created and the happiness that India aspires for may become
real.
Yes, that would boom national and State GDP. There
is no rationale for holding goods at police posts for non-payment of a small
amount of tax. This can be sorted out in ways other than punitive. President of
Global Trucks Anuj Kathuria at the recent zonal conference told the media he hoped
that tolls and restriction on movement is set to go with GST and goods could
move with ease. Such ease of rules has larger benefits. It not only makes
movement easier, it also increases demand and boosts manufacturing at all
levels including automobiles.
Removal of barriers can help the laggards.
The Survey says the so-called laggards like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are the
manufacturing powerhouses not just Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. UP is a net
exporter, and hence competitive in manufacturing. There is a strong correlation
between a State’s manufacturing share of State’s GDP (GSDP) and its trade
volumes (as per cent of GSDP).The manufacturing prowess of States is associated
with higher inter-State trade.
The fundamentals of India’s provincial trade
compare with the best in the world – Canada, European Union and the US. These
are governed by the four freedoms – allowing unfettered movement of goods,
services, capital and people. India’s internal trade data is understated as it
does not include agricultural products.
So the road to progress in India is enormous
provided the man-made barriers are eliminated. The GST in its present form is
not the end. It would be a beginning of the real future reforms. One hopes the
dream of one economic India would succeed with it. ---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
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