Govt. must take opposition into confidence: JD (U) on GST Bill

The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday said that the BJP-led NDA Government should take the opposition into confidence and resolve all contention issues through discussion for smooth passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in Parliament.

JD (U) leader K.C. Tyagi, who was reacting to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's assertion that the government is hopeful of passage of the GST Bill in the Budget Session of Parliament, said the ruling dispensation should take all the parties into confidence for the same.

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"90 percent of the parties are in support of the GST Bill. If there is some disagreement on one or two issue, it should be resolved through discussion. The GST Bill should be passed by taking everyone into confidence," Tyagi told ANI here.

Jaitley yesterday exuded confidence that the government would pass the landmark GST Bill in the next session as numbers in the Rajya Sabha will tilt in its favour.

"Halfway through the next session, the numbers in the Upper House will also change. I am reasonably optimistic as far as the next session is concerned that we will be able to push it (GST Bill)," Jaitley said, as the strength of parliamentarians belonging to the Congress and its allies would start to diminish.

The new tax regime should have been introduced much earlier, said Jaitley.

The government had announced a target date of April 2016 for the rollout of the GST regime, but is now eyeing a start in the middle of fiscal year 2016-17.