GST breakthrough: BJP, Congress to meet today to iron out differences

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Government is making efforts to hammer out a consensus on the goods and services tax (GST) Bill and reaching out to opposition parties.

As per media report, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government is slated to meet Congress leaders on Monday to iron out the differences over the goods and services tax (GST) Bill.

Government has listed the Constitutional Amendment Bill for introduction of GST in Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage this week.

Cornering the Centre over the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, the Congress on Sunday alleged that the BJP-led NDA Government was trying to divide the opposition and force its opinion on them.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, put the ball in government`s court and said the Congress is ready to ensure the passage of the GST Bill.

"They are just saying that they met with the Congress and had a discussion with them. They want to divide the opposition and force an opinion. They are trying to corner the opposition and demean them. If whatever they are saying they can give in writing.we can sit and think over it and take any decision which is in favour of the nation," he said.

On July 27, the Cabinet had cleared changes in the legislation, dropping the controversial one per cent manufacturing tax and providing guarantee to compensate states for any revenue loss in the first five years of rollout of the ambitious indirect tax regime.

The government is keen to get the GST Bill approved during the Monsoon Session of Parliament ending on August 12.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in May 2015 and vetted by the Rajya Sabha Select Committee. However, the measure got stuck in the Upper House where the government does not have majority of its own, as the main opposition Congress sought certain changes in it.

The GST legislation, which intends to convert 29 states into a single market through a new indirect tax regime, was earlier planned to be introduced from April 1 this year, but the deadline was missed as the legislation to roll it out remained in limbo in the Opposition-dominated Rajya Sabha.

With Agency Inputs