Not against GST, but won't allow erosion of J-K's special

The Jammu and Kashmir Congress today said it was not against implementation of the GST but it would not allow erosion of the state's special status.
"We are not against the Goods and Services Tax, but have problem with the way it is being implemented. The government should make it clear as to how to protect the special status of the state," J-K Congress chief G A Mir said here.
"We will not allow erosion of the state's special position or its fiscal autonomy," he said.
Mir was talking to reporters after the Congress Legislature Party's meeting ahead of the special session of the state legislature starting tomorrow for the passage of the GST Bill.

Jammu and Kashmir is the only state which is yet to implement the GST.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) -- India's biggest tax reform since independence -- came into force on July 1, unifying more than a dozen central and state levies.

The state Congress chief said, "The PDP-BJP coalition government is confused and divided over implementation of the GST. But they tried to befool people by showing they were in consultations with all the parties and other stakeholders."
Mir said the opposition parties demanded a draft proposal from the government for implementation of the new tax regime in the state.

"They circulated a theoretical paper in the last meeting in which they themselves seemed to be confused," he said.
About cameras and mobile phones not being allowed inside the Assembly, he said, "We do not know what they will do inside a closed room tomorrow and then they may say that the opposition was onboard. That is why we wanted to make it clear that we will not be a part to any such bad design which leads to the erosion of our autonomy."
He said the party would make its position clear once the session begins and government comes up with something.