The Parliament winter session will be wrap up by next friday, Both Houses will now meet only on Wednesday.
With virtually no business being transacted in either House, since the commencement of the Winter session on November 16, the chances of any legislations being passed in the final three days appear bleak.
Three crucial legislations related to the Goods and Services Tax Bill are currently awaiting Parliament’s approval, so that roll-out of the new tax regime can be a reality by April 1, 2017. But before reaching the doorsteps of Parliament, they need a crucial nod from the GST Council. And that is where the glitch is.
The GST Council so far has been unable to move forward on these legislations in the wake of the states and the Centre reaching no consensus on the latter’s insistence on a dual tax regime under GST. Five Council meetings have yielded no results. The sixth time the Council is to meet is on December 11 and 12. If the GST related legislations are to become a reality then this meeting has to see a breakthrough. Given the adamant stand of some states like Kerala and West Bengal, that looks highly unlikely.
Even if miraculously, the states and the Centre see eye to eye in this final meeting before close of Parliament session, the government will have to push them through Lok Sabha in the form of Money Bills. With the demonetisation debate holding up work in Parliament for 18 days, and the ego tussle threatening to consume even the last three days, there is a slim chance the government will find that easy.
This will derail the implementation of GST. Given the groundwork that needs to be done ahead of roll-out, a breakthrough in the upcoming budget session next year will only add pressure on the government in terms of a tight deadline.
India Today, 09 December 2016
