Modi to intervene during GST Bill debate in Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha is set to take up the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill for passage on Monday during which the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interve, even as the Centre on Friday continued efforts for its early ratification by the state assemblies.

Giving the information that the Lok Sabha will take up the GST Bill on Monday, a senior Union minister said that the measure is likely to be passed the same day.

The opposition had attacked Modi for not intervening during the debate on the bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said this was the first occasion in independent India that the Prime Minister was not present during the passage of a Constitution amendment bill. He had dubbed it as "PM-mukt Parliament".

 

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issued a whip to its members in the Lower House to remain present on August 8.

Aiming for early implementation of the GST, top central ministers have spoken with nine chief ministers of National Democratic Alliance ruled states to ensure that the constitutional amendment is ratified by state assemblies at the earliest.

Some chief ministers of BJP-ruled states have given an assurance to call special sessions of their respective assemblies to ratify the bill.

The GST Bill has to be ratified by at least 16 states in 30 days after it is passed by the Parliament.

On Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha had approved the bill with an overwhelming majority.

Six official amendments, including scrapping of one per cent additional tax, were moved by the government which were approved by an overwhelming majority in the Upper House.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha earlier. Now it has to go back to the Lower House for incorporating the amendments approved by the Rajya Sabha.

Once implemented, the GST will subsume various taxes including excise, services tax, octroi and other levies and the proceeds will be shared between the Centre and the states.

Instead of goods being taxed multiple times at different rates, under the new GST regime goods would be taxed at the point of consumption.