NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday said it is in favour of passing the contentious GST Bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament which begins on July 18 and is holding talks with various political parties to evolve a consensus on the bill. The GST will bring in a unified tax structure across the country.
“We are in the favour of passing GST in the Monsoon session. Will speak to all parties, even if it requires personal talks. If GST is passed, Indian economy will grow further. We have wide support, but we would like every party to be part of the consensus,” Union minister Venkaiah Naidu told media representatives after the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met here to decide the schedule of the Monsoon session. The session will go on until August 12.
According to sources, the Bill could be listed on the first day in the Rajya Sabha itself as a confident NDA government is enthused by its increased numerical strength in the Upper House. At a meeting of the empowered committee of state finance ministers earlier in June, chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Tamil Nadu had raised objections to the bill especially over specifying a GST ceiling. “Virtually every State supported the idea of GST. One state (Tamil Nadu) said they have reservations on GST and have offered a few suggestions on how to make the GST implementable. We will look into it,” he said.
The Congress is also opposed to the bill and bringing it on board would be a major challenge.