Dasgupta confident of 2010 GST rollout target

Asim Dasgupta, chairman of a panel on the Goods and Services Tax (GST), today expressed confidence that the new tax regime would be introduced from the scheduled date of April 1, 2010, and said issues raised by each state would be resolved in a democratic manner.

“I remain confident about the target to be achieved. When I say we are working at it, we are very serious. Problems of each state has to be accomodated in a democratic manner. That is my responsibility,” Dasgupta, chairman of the Empowered Committee of state finance ministers, told reporters. The remarks of Dasgupta assume importance as states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are not in favour of introducing the GST from April 1, 2010. Dasgupta was talking to reporters after meeting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to discuss details of the discusssion paper on GST which would be released later this month.

“It was an internal meeting on GST. Very internal. It was absolutely internal on the details of discussion paper which we will be giving to you towards the end of this month,” Dasgupta said.