THE GST Council, in its 37th session on September 20, 2019 in Goa, chaired by the union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and attended by the finance ministers of all states, has taken urgent steps in slashing down the tariff rates in starred hotels to encourage hospitality industry and tourism, particularly foreign tourism. This was the priority for the GST Council when the county is facing its worst economic slowdown, due to slump in consumption, and 45 years low unemployment rate.