Pawan Kalyan, despite having only completed 10th grade, proposed the great idea of funding the Polavaram project through a 1 paisa cess.
He stated that the coalition government intends to implement this 1 paisa cess on all purchases, estimating it to generate ₹33,000 crore within six months.
These funds are earmarked for the relief and rehabilitation of the 1.6 lakh victims of the Polavaram project facing significant hardship.
However, the validity of his calculation is questionable.
Does he possess an understanding of the nationwide GST revenue or the varying GST rates prevalent in India?
The most common GST rates range from 0% to 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%, with some exceptions like 0.25% and 3%, while special schemes entail lower rates such as 1.5%, 5%, or 6%.
Even with the state of Andhra Pradesh collecting a maximum of ₹3500 to ₹4000 crore per month in GST, totaling ₹21,000 to ₹24,000 crore over six months, how can a mere 1 paisa levy on purchases in AP amass ₹33,000 crore?
His proposal raises doubts about his grasp of basic mathematics, which is not even of 10th class standard.
Or is he assuming the people to be gullible enough to accept his wild figures?
If a 1 paisa cess could yield such astronomical results, wouldn't the nation have adopted it long ago, potentially eliminating the need for GST and income tax?
Pawan's suggestion of a 1 paisa cess seems whimsical and detached from reality. If his calculations were accurate, why stop at the "Polavaram Cess"?
He could propose a "mega cess" of ₹10 on every purchase, purportedly making him and his brothers richer than Elon Musk and Bernard Arnault combined.
Pawan Kalyan's idea of a 1 paisa cess brings laughter even from the uneducated and astonishes seasoned economists with its flawed arithmetic.
"If his calculation is true, then he can be made the Finance Minister of India giving retirement to Nirmala Sitaraman. Thus Pawan Kalyan can set a record as the first 10th class Finance Minister of India", a netizen wrote on social media.