PM Narendra Modi hails passage and thanks leaders; says will be the best example of cooperative federalism
GST will replace a patchwork of central and state levies on goods and services.
New Delhi: With main opposition Congress and most other parties on board, Rajya Sabha yesterday night passed a bill to amend the Constitution to facilitate rollout of the historic GST amid government’s assurance that the tax rates would be kept “as low as possible”.
GST will replace a patchwork of central and state levies on goods and services.
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The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 was approved by the Upper House with 203 votes in favour and none against, after a seven-hour debate during which a rare bonhomie was witnessed among the ruling and the opposition parties.
Six official amendments, including scrapping of one per cent additional tax, moved by the government were approved with cent per cent votes.
The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha earlier. It will now go back to the Lower House to incorporate the amendments approved by the Rajya Sabha. The bill will also have to be approved by 50 per cent of all the state assemblies.
AIADMK was the only party to oppose the measure and its members staged a walkout from the House to register their unhappiness over the bill which lays the ground for rollout of uniform Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime that will subsume all indirect taxes including central excise duty and state VAT/sales tax.
The easy passage was facilitated after the main opposition party Congress, which had been stalling the measure for over two years, came on board after the government made about six changes in the bill.
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