Announcement of GST rollout date likely on Jan 8

The date for rolling out the Goods and Services Tax could be announced on January 8, the Chairman of the Empowered Committee on State Finance Ministers, Asim Dasgupta, said today.

"There will be a joint statement after a meeting with Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on January 8 on GST rollout," Dasgupta told reporters on the sidelines of the 23rd industrial trade fair, organised by the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry here.

"We (state finance ministers) have a two-day meeting from January 7. We will meet Pranab Mukherjee before giving a statement on this," he said.

Dasgupta's statement came just a day after the Union finance minister said the scheduled April 1 date to introduce the new tax regime may be missed due to a lack of consensus among all the 28 states.

Asked whether a consensus with all the states had been arrived at, Dasgupta did not make any comments.

He said the Centre was working and contributing, and an advance had been made which would make it possible to introduce the GST at the appropriate time.