Centre opposes plea seeking GST cut on air purifiers, says ‘will open Pandora’s box’

The Union government on Friday informed the Delhi High Court that a court order to reduce GST rates on air purifiers would “open a Pandora’s box”, as it heard a plea seeking a rate cut and their classification as “medical devices” amid worsening pollution in the national capital.A vacation bench of Justices Vikas Mahajan and Vinod Kumar directed the Centre to file a detailed response to the petition within 10 days and listed the matter for further hearing on January 9.Additional Solicitor General (ASG) N Venkataraman, representing the Centre, sought time to file a detailed reply.The ASG said the classification of medical devices is carried out by the health ministry after detailed scrutiny, not by the GST Council. The court was also reminded that the separation of powers is fundamental and that recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee require a legislative process before implementation.The ASG also contended that the petition had been filed in a “calculated manner” with a specific agenda, raising questions over its motives.He further informed the court that meetings of the GST Council must be held physically and cannot be convened through video conferencing.The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the central government to classify air purifiers as “medical devices” and reduce the goods and services tax (GST) to the five per cent slab. Air purifiers are currently taxed at 18 per cent.The petition by advocate Kapil Madan said that purifiers cannot be treated as luxury items in view of the “extreme emergency crisis” caused by severe air pollution in Delhi.On December 24, the court had directed the GST Council to meet at the earliest and consider lowering or abolishing GST on air purifiers. The matter was listed today to inform the court as to when the Council can meet and whether it was possible for the Council to meet virtually, if not physically.



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