Public outcry as RTI requests hit with 18% GST despite legal exemptions
Hubballi: It has come to light that some public information officers (PIO) in state departments are allegedly imposing 18% GST on Right to Information (RTI) requests, alongside the prescribed fee of Rs 2 per page. The move contradicts a 2018 clarification by the Central Information Commission (CIC) that RTI information is neither goods nor services.
Activists are disappointed and plan to appeal the decision. A copy of the reply given by executive engineer (elecl), KPTCL, Mangaluru, is making rounds on social media in North Karnataka. It tells the applicant to pay 18% GST along with the fee for the information. Athani-based activist Bheemanagouda Paragond, who shared the letter on his Facebook account, told TOI that it is another way to discourage people from filing applications under the RTI Act.
"Though there is neither a circular from the govt nor an amendment to the Act in this regard, officials are harassing people." Victor D'souza, a resident of Kadandale village in Mudbidri taluk, Dakshin Kannada district, who filed the application and was instructed to pay the fee and GST, said that as a 400 KV HT line is going via his agricultural lands, he filed an RTI application on Dec 13.
"In reply, I am told to pay 18% GST. Though it's against the ct, I will pay it to get information which is needed urgently. I will question the GST later," he added. He also said that he was forced to pay 18% GST since 2022.
