The announcement was made by the minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, while making a statement regarding government business for the week starting August 1 in the Upper House.
The most discussed, Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill has finally been listed for consideration and passage in the Upper House for next week. With most of the opposition parties agreeing to the clauses of the Bill, the Congress has found itself on the back foot and has hinted that it was open to negotiations with the government to allow the passage of the bill.
The announcement was made by the minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, while making a statement regarding government business for the week starting August 1 in the Upper House. Naqvi has said that the constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 will be taken up for consideration and passage. The government is keen on getting the Bill passed during the current session of Parliament which ends on August 12. The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in May 2015.
The Congress which is the largest opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has been stalling the Bill over three clauses. One of the Congress' objections, the Cabinet on July 27 has 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 roll-out of the ambitious indirect tax regime.
The Congress is yet to reach a consensus with the BJP over the ring fencing the GST at the outer limit of 18 per cent and creating an independent mechanism for dispute redressal on the Bill. The negotiations between the two parties continue. "There is an ongoing negotiation and we hope to persuade the government in the national interest and the interest of the people," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
Finance minister along with chief economic advisor is learnt to have met the leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad and his deputy Anand Sharma on Thursday over capping the tax to 18 per cent. Sources informed that the Congress can relent from its 18 per cent capping clause. Surejwala while addressing the press also hinted the same. "In a democracy, deliberation is the only way forward to settle issues, but it must be meaningful. We are ready to sit down and discuss," he added.
Once the Rajya Sabha clears the legislation, the amended bill would be returned to the Lok Sabha for its approval.
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.
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