Govt may make more changes in GST Bill to soothe Oppn

 Desperate to pass the Goods and Services Tax Bill (GST) in the winter session of Parliament, the government appears to be considering more changes to help remove the Opposition hurdle.

There is a buzz that the government is ready to forgo the much-criticised 1 per cent additional tax at the point of origin that the states were proposed to collect over and above the GST. This comes after the likely concession being considered in the GST rate which is expected to be below 20 per cent.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley called a meeting of the ministry officials to discuss the changes in the bill. The move is to reach out to the Opposition at the all-party meeting ahead of the winter session commencing on November 26.

The Congress said it has no objection to the bill getting cleared by the Rajya Sabha if three conditions — GST rate, one per cent additional tax and inclusion of petroleum and liquor—are resolved.

The winter session is probably the last chance the government has in its hands for the GST bill to see the light of the day in order to stick to the April 2016 deadline.


A committee headed by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, too, made a presentation before the finance minister on Monday. The committee is expected to give its report on December 4 or 5 on the GST rate, among other things.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu will meet leaders of the NDA in both Houses on Tuesday, a day before he holds the all party-meeting.

The monsoon session remained a near wash-out on issues like an NDA minister expediting ex-IPL chief Lalit Modi’s UK visa. The opposition parties have closed ranks to corner the government on various issues in Parliament.