Netizens troll Centre over ‘absurd’ popcorn tax slabs; say ‘Do we have to pay tax for sugarcoating our words too?’

What if popcorn ends up costing more than your movie ticket? Thanks to the latest GST rules rolled out by the 55th GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, this scenario might just become a reality. On December 21, the council introduced different tax rates for popcorn, leaving moviegoers and healthy snack connoisseurs scratching their heads. According to the new guidelines, ready-to-eat popcorn that’s pre-packed and mixed with salt and spices will be taxed at 12%, while caramel popcorn gets hit with a higher tax rate of 18%. For comparison ‘ready-to-eat’ popcorn currently has a 5% rate. The reason for the difference? Sitharaman explained that once popcorn is coated with sugar to make caramel popcorn, its main nature shifts to that of a sugar confectionery, hence the 18% GST. Sitharaman said, “We had a wide-ranging discussion on caramelised popcorn, all states agreed that all items with added sugar are treated under a separate tax bracket.”

But the internet remains unconvinced, sparking a series of memes relating to the subject matter. “I buy #popcorn at 18% GST!! 🍿🍿🍿. I buy fuel at ₹80 a litre… ⛽⛽⛽⛽. I spend my life paying taxes – On income, on saving, on investment… 💸💸💸. Yet, I have no job security, no health security, no retirement security! Am I a fool or a patriot? 🤔🤔,” said one netizen on X. Comedian Munawar Faruqui also commented on the situation with a witty quip saying, “Do we have to pay tax for…Sugarcoating our words in conversation ?”

Other netizens were more concerned about the Finance Ministry’s priorities. “Contrast our Finance Minister spending time discussing popcorn GST with foreign FMs debating cryptocurrency reserves,” one critic noted,” said one. “GST on popcorn seems more critical to the government than removing or reducing GST on insurance,” another user remarked. Even the opposition Congress commented on the issue with Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh saying, “The absurdity of three different tax slabs for popcorn under GST, which has unleashed a tsunami of memes on social media, only brings to light a deeper issue: the growing complexity of a system that was supposed to be a Good and Simple Tax.”

What do you think about this ‘absurd’ tax?