Single GST rate in the process, cutting tax on cement a priority: Jaitley

Jaitley said of the 1,216 commodities which are used, broadly 183 are taxed at zero rate, 308 at 5 per cent, 178 at 12 per cent and 517 at 18 per cent

India is working towards a single national sales tax rate which could be a mid-point between 12 and 18 per cent, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Monday, in an effort to simplify the tax structure.

The government set the range for the Goods and Service Tax from 28 per cent to 5 per cent on most items when the signature reform was introduced last year.

"Multiple slabs were fixed transiently in order to ensure the tax of no commodity goes up radically. This contained the inflation impact," Jaitley wrote in his blog.

"A future road map could well be