One nation, one tax, many jokes: GST roll out hits pockets, not humour

Indian PM Narendra Modi's loves for poor acronyms is so legendary, that if he saw one standing next to Donald Trump, he wouldn't know what to grab. Recently, as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was set to be unrolled, he displayed this proclivity once again. GST, he announced without the slightest sense of irony, stood for “Good and Simple Tax.” 

Two days into the new tax regime, economists are divided on GST's goodness. Consumers and traders, meanwhile, don't seem to think it's very simple either. With most people stressing out over the situation, Modi went out of his way to lighten the mood, ending his GST inauguration speech by exiting to the tune of Darth Vader's Imperial March.

Quick to take a queue from our fearless leader, India's netizens seem to have realised that humour may be the only way to survive this latest initiative. Besides, with GST raising the prices of alcohol and luxury goods, humour may be the only form of entertainment the masses can afford. So, with memes somehow excluded from the NDA's tax net (Sorry, sanitary napkins), the internet has been flooded with hilarious GST memes. Here are some to keep you smiling as you try and figure out what's going on.