Mamata Urges PM Modi to Exempt Oxygen Tanks, Covid Medicines from Taxes

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking tax waivers on the import of medicines and equipment required to fight the Covid pandemic.

“I am writing to you regarding a critical issue on facilitating augmentation of medical system including infrastructure, equipment, medicine, and oxygen, necessitated due to sudden spike in the number of COVID cases in the country in general and also in West Bengal,” she wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister
“A large number of organisations, individuals, and benevolent agencies have come forward to donate oxygen concentrators, cylinders, cryogenic storage tanks, tankers, and tank containers and COVID related drugs,” she said.

“However, many of the donors and agencies have approached the state government to consider exemption of these items from customs duty/ SGST/ CGST/ IGST,” the West Bengal CM added.

“As the rate structure falls under the purview of the Central government, I would request that these items may be exempted from GST/ customs duty and other such duties and taxes, to help remove supply constraints of the above mentioned life-saving drugs and equipment and contribute towards effective management of COVID pandemic,” she further said.