The Indian tricolour was hoisted at Seattle’s iconic 605-feet-tall Space Needle on India’s 79th Independence Day, the first time that a foreign nation’s flag was raised at the popular American destination.

Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta along with Mayor of Seattle Bruce Harrell and other select dignitaries from the Seattle city leadership joined the historic and landmark occasion.

“No greater honour than this ! Raising the Tiranga on top of Seattle skyline at Space Needle,” Mr. Gupta said in a post on X, along with a video of the tricolour flying high atop the iconic Seattle monument with sprawling views of the city below.

Calling the commemoration a “historic first in Seattle”, the Consulate General of India in Seattle said the celebration underscored the contributions of the Indian-American diaspora in shaping the city’s journey as a tech hub in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Later, a community reception was hosted by the Consulate at the scenic Kerry Park, with India’s flag on top of the Space Needle in the backdrop.

A large number of Indian-American community members turned up to witness the historic sight, the Consulate said in a press release.

The reception was attended by several dignitaries including US Congressman Adam Smith, Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court Debra Stephens, Seattle Port Commissioner Sam Cho and Superintendent/Director of Seattle Parks and Recreation AP Diaz.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Smith welcomed the historic celebration, noting that the Indian tricolour’s hoisting atop the Space Needle is a tribute to the region’s diversity and the strong bonds between India and the Pacific Northwest.

The Space Needle, which was built in 1962, stands as a symbol of Seattle’s skyline and epitomises the U.S. Pacific Northwest region’s tech-driven future.

In a special gesture to honour India’s Independence Day in the Greater Seattle area, King County, which covers 39 cities, along with Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma and Bellevue, issued official proclamations marking August 15 as India Day.

Separately, several iconic buildings across Seattle were also lit up in the Indian tricolours. These included the Lumen Stadium, T-Mobile Stadium, Westin, Seattle Great Wheel and Space Needle.

The Indian flag was also hoisted at the prestigious Tacoma Dome, Tacoma City Hall and at the Headquarters of Tacoma Police and Fire Departments, the Consulate said.

A vibrant cultural extravaganza featuring national anthems, along with dance performances showcasing the rich diversity of Indian art forms as well as a poetic recital by renowned artist and actor Piyush Mishra also enthralled those attending the special celebrations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Diwali gift” to the people of India, of reforms to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system, will likely be across three pillars — structural reforms, rate rationalisation, and ease of living — and could entail a shift to a two-rate GST system from the current five-rate system.

“The government will bring next generation GST reforms, which will bring down tax burden on the common man,” Mr. Modi said during his speech at Red Fort in New Delhi on India’s 79th Independence Day. “It will be a Diwali gift for you.”

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The Ministry of Finance, elaborating on the Prime Minister’s announcement in a press release, said that the Central Government has sent its proposal on GST rate rationalisations and reforms to the Group of Ministers (GoM) that had been constituted by the GST Council to examine this issue.

It added that the GST Council would in its next meeting — the date for which is yet to be announced — deliberate on the recommendations of the GoM and would strive to implement the bulk of the reforms within this financial year.

“Key areas identified for next-generation reforms include the rationalisation of tax rates to benefit all sections of society, especially the common man, women, students, middle class, and farmers,” the Finance Ministry said.

“Reforms will also seek to reduce classification-related disputes, correcting inverted duty structures in specific sectors, ensuring greater rate stability, and further enhancing ease of doing business,” it added.

One of the most major changes it announced was to “essentially move towards simple tax with 2 slabs – standard and merit”. It added that ‘special rates’ would apply only on “select few items”.

The second major change is an attempt to reduce taxes on “common-man items and aspirational goods”. 

“This would enhance affordability, boost consumption, and make essential and aspirational goods more accessible to a wider population,” the Ministry added.

Towards the ‘Ease of Living’, the Centre has proposed using technology to speed up and ease the GST registration process, implement pre-filled returns, thus reducing manual intervention and eliminating mismatches, and processing refunds in a faster and more automated manner. 

“In the true spirit of cooperative federalism, the Centre remains committed to working closely with the States,” the Finance Ministry said. “It will be building a broad-based consensus with the States in the coming weeks, to implement the next generation of reforms as envisioned by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.”

However, the release stopped short of stating the date of the next meeting of the GST Council. With the last meeting taking place in December 2024, the next meeting — supposed to take place once a quarter — is long overdue.

“The GST Council, when it meets next, will deliberate on the recommendations of the GoM, and every effort will be made to facilitate early implementation so that the intended benefits are substantially realised within the current financial year,” the release said.