Tirupati laddu to cost more TTD plea goes unheeded

New Delhi: As and when the GST is implemented, all the services offered by the TTD, including booking of rooms, cost of laddu and other prasadams and every other service will get costlier as Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley made it clear on Sunday that the TTD would not be exempt from it.

The TTD has earlier appealed to the Centre to exempt from GST the ingredients purchased for making prasadams at the Holy shrine. AP Finance Minister Y Ramakrishundu who presented a memorandum to the Centre in the past in this regard was hopeful of securing the exemption.

The TTD had sought exemption for not only prasadams but also for various pooja items and for serving pilgrims in choultries, guest houses and for the sale of human hair and other revenue sources. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Ramakrishnudu said that exempting Polavaram from Service Tax also would not be possible as the officials refused to concede the demand.

In addition the AP government had also sought exemption for fishermen's nets and dried fish and a variation in taxation on non-AC restaurants and AC restaurants. He said his government's request for considering lower tax on medium industry would be taken up for discussion in the next meeting on June 18. However, tax on school bags is being brought down from 28 per cent to 18 per cent, Ramakrishunudu said.