The banana controversy doesn’t seem to end anytime soon. After releasing of video of himself complaining about the rate of two 2 bananas at JW Marriott Hotel in Chandigarh Bollywood actor Rahul Bose became the hot topic.
The hotel was fined by ₹25000 by the Excise & Taxation Department of the state. Now the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) came in support of JW Marriott and claimed that what the hotel did was not at all “illegal”.
The Vice-President of FHRAI, Gurbaxish Singh Kohli said that 18% GST imposed 5on the Bose’s bill was “a legal requirement”.
Kohli said that hotel chains follow Standard Operating Procedures and unlike a retail store, a hotel offers service, quality, plate, cutlery, accompaniment, sanitized fruit, ambiance, and luxury along with the commodity. That is why a coffee which is available at ₹10 in roadside stalls, costs ₹250 in a luxury hotel.
He also justified the 18% GST and said that accommodation of ₹7,500 per day and above draws GST at the rate of CGST 9% and UT-GST 9%.
FHRAI Secretary Pradeep Shetty said that the hotel correctly charged the GST on the bill and it was legally payable by the customer.
