Jaipur, Jul 14 (IANS): Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday took feedback from Rajasthan's business community on GST and assured that their complaints and suggestions would be be presented in front of the GST Council.

"Our government understands the needs of traders and has empathy with their problems," he said a meeting with representatives of different trading and industrial units.

Goyal said that GST has helped the business community of India to be associated with the most honest and transparent tax system, and the way traders have adopted the system is quite admirable.

On this occasion, Om Prakash Mittal, who heads Laghu Udyog Bharati, said that 18 per cent GST on job work is too high and should be reduced.

CREDAI chairman Gopal Gupta said that consumers are unable to buy homes due to imposition of 19 per cent tax. New projects are stagnant and no new schemes have been coming to boost the projects.

The representatives of jewellery community complained that smuggling of gold and silver has increased with the implementation of GST while the marble stone traders said that mafia is dominating trade after GST implementation.

The sculptors raised a demand for revoking GST on idols of gods and goddesses while those engaged in heritage hotel industries also sought that the tax should not apply to them.

Goyal said that the GST Council, from time to time, has been making changes in the system after taking feedback from the trading communities at regular intervals. Working on their suggestions, GST rates have been slashed for around 25 per cent commodities which have benefited traders as well as the consumer, he added.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who was also present, said that the problems of the trading community were presented strongly in front of the GST Council and eventually, the changes brought in by it have benefited the state's trade and industries.