Opposition delaying GST Bill for collateral reasons, says Arun Jaitley

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told media that at the meeting, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley appealed to the parties for ensuring passage of GST Bill.

The Congress is asking for a cap on the GST rate to be included in the constitution amendment bill, as also scrapping the proposed one percent additional tax on inter-state movement of goods on grounds that this would have a cascading inflationary effect on prices.

While addressing the annual general meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Jaitley said he has no doubt that the Opposition’s attempt to delay the bill is because they could not pass it in Parliament during the United Progressive Alliance’s rule. “I think a delayed GST is better than a flawed GST”.

The Lok Sabha during next week will take up The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and The National Waterways (Amendment) Bill, 2015 for which discussion time of 2 and 3 hours respectively has been allotted.

“Congress’ three weighty objections & the bill could be passed”.

In the Upper House, where the Winter Session has been a near washout so far, 18 bills are pending. Jaitley also said that it might seem like a hard reality but it is politics that determines policy in India.

The NDA Government is making all out efforts to bring about a consensus on the GST Bill, which is now caught in a political logjam in Parliament, but there are no chances of it getting passed during the Winter Session, dealing a blow to the economic reforms process of the government.

“Constitution prescribed tariffs actually can be an albatross around the neck of the future generation. And we owe it to them not to create situations of this kind”, he said. “I am going to be pushing for the insolvency and bankruptcy law before Parliament in the next three days”, Mr Jaitley said while speaking at the FICCI AGM in New Delhi.

Referring to the Arbitration and Conciliation Bill, which will go to the Rajya Sabha for approval, the Minister said “in terms of ease of doing business, India has nearly ceased to be a centre for dispute adjudication and arbitration and we have to bring it back”.