Former finance minister P Chidambaram came out all guns blazing against the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime on its first anniversary, terming it an "RSS tax" that had led to an increase in tax burden and become a "bad word" among people. The senior Congress leader said it is a "very different animal and not a true GST".

"GST means one tax rate only. If (it has) multiple rates, call it 'RSS tax'... It is an undeniable fact that GST has not yet had a positive impact on economic growth," Chidambaram told the media at the party's office. "The design, structure, infrastructure backbone, rate or rates and implementation of the GST were so flawed that it has become a bad word among business persons, traders, exporters and the common citizens," he said.