Bill for GST rollout unlikely in Budget session     

The constitutional amendment Bill to facilitate rollout of Goods and Services Tax (GST) is unlikely to be introduced in the upcoming Budget session of Parliament.

“It is most likely that we will take another seven-eight months for building consensus,” official sources said. This is a clear pointer that a full-fledged GST rollout will not happen from April 1, which was the target date.

India is looking to introduce a dual GST system — Central and State. A constitutional amendment is required as the Centre wants to levy Central GST up to the retail stage. Currently, Cenvat duty is levied only at the point of manufacture for most items.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine, India, dated 09/01/2010