GST may be cleared in RS today

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill is likely to be cleared in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday even as the Opposition raised questions about the government’s preparedness in rolling out the new tax regime.

The parties were also circumspect of the proposed four levels of GST rates and the long list of exclusions and the possibility of tax authorities harassing tax payers. The Opposition also sought to point fingers at the BJP for its stand on the bill before 2014, claiming it had played an obstructionist role earlier.

The discussion on the bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha last Wednesday, started soon after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved the proposed legislation to have a new indirect tax regime.

Initiating the debate, Congress’ Anand Sharma expressed doubt whether the government is prepared enough to roll out the GST system. He said the seven-year delay due to “partisan stance” has caused “huge loss” to the country.