States seem ready for July 1 rollout of GST, though West Bengal says not

West Bengal FM Amit Mitra says small and medium enterprises are not prepared

 

Rollout of the national goods and services tax (GST) on July 1 seems almost certain but some states are not fully geared.

West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra has sought postponement of the deadline, in a letter to Union finance minister, Arun Jaitley. He says small and medium enterprises are not prepared. Sources add that if this is so, it would prevent large enterprises from seeking input tax credit.

Mitra cited data from the Confederation of All India Traders to say that 70 per cent of small businesses are yet to adopt the needed technology. H K Dua, president of the Federation