A video of the Managing Director of Tamil Nadu’s renowned Annapoorna Hotel apologising to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for his remarks on the Union government’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) has sparked controversy in Tamil Nadu.In the video released on X by the TN BJP, Annapoorna Hotel MD Srinivasan, who is also the honorary president of the Tamil Nadu Hotels Association, can be seen apologising to the Finance Minister for his comments. The video shows Sitharaman, Coimbatore South BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, and Srinivasan seated in a room.”Please pardon me for my comments. I do not belong to any political party,” Srinivasan is heard saying.The video is now removed after a huge public outrage.The incident occurred on September 11, during a meeting between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and hoteliers in Coimbatore.During the meeting, Srinivasan raised concerns about the challenges faced by restaurateurs due to varying GST rates on food items. He pointed out that cream-filled buns are taxed at 18%, while plain buns are not subject to GST, the IndiaToday reported. “There is 18% GST on cream-filled buns, whereas there is no GST on buns. Customers are saying, ‘Just give me the bun; I will add the cream and jam myself,’” Srinivasan remarked, drawing laughter from others present.He further noted, “The Ministry has imposed 5% GST on sweets and 12% on namkeen because people in the North consume more sweets. In Tamil Nadu, sweets, namkeen, and coffee are often consumed together. Please apply a uniform GST rate for these items. The confusion over GST rates is causing issues even with our computer systems.”The video, which has gone viral on social media, has drawn criticism of the Finance Ministry and fueled the ongoing debate over GST rates.
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