GST: Even Bengal braces for July rollout

NEW DELHI: States on Sunday were unanimous in sticking to the July rollout deadline for GST, with sole dissenter West Bengal too indicating that it would either enact the law over the next three weeks or promulgate an ordinance to ensure that it did not miss out on the expected bonanza from the new regime.
“Irrespective of the date on which it starts, some people will say they are not ready, so they have no option but to get ready...You require an honest intent for that,” finance minister Arun Jaitley said in response to queries on lack of preparedness of small businesses.
While West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra sought a postponement during the GST Council meeting, he had no support from any state. An officer from a state where the BJP is not in power said, “What is the point in deferring it by a month? It is not as if everyone will be ready to switchover. There will still be some who will not be ready.” States such as Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar and Odisha have all backed a July launch as they are keen to avoid any disruption during the festival season from September-October.
Jammu & Kashmir, which will have to enact all laws, has convened a session which will commence on June 17 and will consider legislations. So far, two dozen states have enacted state GST laws amid indications that West Bengal, which had earlier threatened not to join the new regime from July, will also move ahead with the legislation. Mitra, however, insisted that GSTN as well as small traders were not ready. “We want a perfect GST to the extent possible,” he told reporters, as he sought to take credit for some of the change in rates.
Jaitley said that most of the work related to the launch had been completed, with the tax rate for lottery, rules for electronic way (E-Way) bills to replace the challans and anti-profiteering rules to be decided soon. Two of the issues are on the agenda for the next meeting of the GST Council on June 18 even as the panel of finance ministers cleared the accounting rules on Sunday.