No state stiffly opposing GST: Mani

There is no "obstinate opposition" from any state on the the Goods and Services Tax Bill and a consensus would be built for its implementation by April 2016, the new chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST, K.M.Mani said on Friday.

"Most of the states have welcomed GST. Only very few states are opposing. Even they are also agreeing gradually. I think there is no obstinate opposition from any state," Mani, who is also the Kerala finance minister, told reporters here.

On the central government's plans to implement GST by April 1, 2016, Mani said: "I cannot exactly say. But that is the present schedule. We will try to materialise the object by that time."

He said the next meeting of the panel would be held in Kerala on May 7-8.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his first full budget in February announced that the proposed GST Bill will be implemented from April next year.

The GST, by subsuming a large number of central and state taxes into a single tax, would mitigate cascading, or double, taxation in a major way and pave the way for a common national market.

On the opposition to it from some states, Mani said the interests of all would be protected.

"Gujarat has certain apprehensions and certain states have certain apprehensions. We will remove that and we have a consensus decision. We will safeguard the interest of all the states, producing states and consumer states," he said.