India News | BJD MP Urges GST Council to Reduce Tax on Health Insurance for Senior Citizens

New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) BJD MP Amar Patnaik wrote to GST Council members on Thursday, seeking a reduction in GST on health insurance for senior citizens.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, access to health services for individuals, particularly senior citizens, has been drastically affected, and therefore, this proposal to reduce GST on health insurance needs to be considered with sympathy and due indulgence, he wrote.

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Citing various studies, Patnaik said senior citizens are some of the most under-insured people, with only 15 per cent health cover buyers in the 60-80 age group.

To ensure timely and cost-effective treatment of age-related medical disorders, senior citizens must have health insurance, he said.

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"In order to provide relief to our senior citizens, it is necessary to reduce the existing GST rates on health insurance policies from 18 per cent to five per cent or exempt senior citizens from any GST on purchase of health insurance," Patnaik said in the letter written to the Union Finance Ministry and the state finance ministers.

He urged the ministry and the members of the GST Council to duly consider the demand for reduction of GST rates on health insurance premiums for senior citizens and provide them some relief.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)