Welcoming Narendra Modi-led Government’s GST new age reforms, the TTD Employees’ Union has urged to lift GST taxes on Tirumala Hill, the long time demand of the devotees. Union’s Honorary President Kandarpu Murlai said that as zero percent was announced for the education sector in the GST reforms, in the same way appealed to declare zero percent GST for Tirumala temple also.
He said that will greatly help devotees and pilgrims and will enable more development work to be undertaken within the scope of the respective institutions. He requested that the TTD Governing Council consider this proposal and hold an emergency Governing Council meeting and submit a petition to the central government.
Kandarapu Murali recalled that Minister Pankaj Chaudhary himself had announced in the Lok Sabha on behalf of the Ministry of Finance that TTD has paid more than Rs 150 crore under GST in the last five years and that this tax payment is up to Rs 50 crore in the year 2024 alone.
He recalled that GST is not applicable to religious items, prasadams, and cottages where rent is less than Rs. 1,000. He also said that the fact that a huge GST is being levied on the raw materials supplied for the laddu prasadam made in Tirumala. He explained that GST is also being levied on the raw materials purchased for the free food distribution scheme run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
Murali said that these payments are in addition to the GST paid directly by the TTD. The coalition government, the governing body, and the TTD management should make efforts on a war footing by demanding GST exemptions, he said.
He also asked the BJP members on the TTD board to put pressure on the central government and declare Tirumala hill as a GST-free area to gain the respect of devotees and pilgrims. He advised TTD leaders that they would be of maximum benefit to the organization if they focused on such issues instead of wasting time on unnecessary discussions and raising controversies every day.
